Stark's Legacy
by starkprongs
Summary: Tony Stark made a mistake nearly thirteen years ago. A mistake that resulted in his greatest creation yet. Tony Stark's daughter fanfic with Avengers family, will also include Spider-Man, Agents of SHIELD, and some of the Defenders. Used to be Stark's Spawn, recently changed the name.
1. Prologue

My name is Holly. Just Holly. That's how I usually introduce myself, anyway.

Actually, my full name is Holly Stark. Yeah. Like Stark Industries. Not exactly something I'm proud of, so, that gives me Just Holly. It's not even worth it to mention my mom's last name, the name I wish she would have given me, but she didn't. She never told me why, and now, I'd never know. She died, left my creep of a stepfather to look after me, and I took off.

So, I'm a Stark. And I've hated it ever since I understood that it meant that Anthony Edward Stark, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, took advantage of my mom one night, and then didn't even bother to stick around and see if a kid resulted from it.

Aka; me. But I needed Stark right now because the alternative was to deal with my stepfather, and I'd rather die than do that.

No one in their right mind would deny that I'm Stark's spawn. I've got his black hair, his basic facial features, an IQ of 183 and an ego to match. The only thing I actually inherited from my mom (my favorite thing about myself) is my eyes, which is the color of the Pacific Ocean I'm staring at right now as I try to get up the nerve to go talk to Stark.

I know right now I'm being a coward, but part of me is trying to convince myself that I would be completely fine on my own. I didn't make it all the way from my hometown in Tempe, Arizona just to sit on some jerk's doorstep.

Besides, I'd be lying to myself if I'd say that I didn't need his help. I had jean shorts and a black t-shirt that looked raggedy from two weeks of travelling by foot or stowing away, tennis shoes that were practically falling apart, a beat up backpack, no food, and seventy-five cents on me.

How pathetic is that? I couldn't even afford a burger from McDonald's. And no matter how high my IQ is, I needed to swallow my pride and accept that a twelve year old could not make it on her own, even if I did graduate high school last year. Legalities. A kid genius in an adult ruled world sucked.

I shook my head. Worst that would happen, I reasoned, was that Stark wouldn't want me. Who cares? I knew that he probably wouldn't want me. He probably would just give me money to shut me up so I wouldn't plan on going to the media, but whatever- I needed it.

My head was swimming as I walked up to the gate. Trying to push through, I suddenly received an electric shock that sent me reeling back. "Hey!" I yelled at the mansion. "I'm Tony Stark's daughter. And if you don't want me going to the media, demanding a paternity test, you'll let me through."

No answer, and I didn't expect one. I knew that this guy probably had homeless kids running up to his door all the time trying to claim that. I figured, more so than a paternity test, how I got into the mansion would prove the relation more than what I said.

"Good, I hoped this would be easy," I mumbled to myself before opening my backpack. No, I didn't have a weapon, I had something much better; my toolkit. Taking out a slim screwdriver, I deftly started messing with the mechanisms in the gate lock, and then, as I happily noted that the gate was electric, introduced a self-made virus that took out not only the security systems, but the power. It took less than a minute to do; it must be made to keep the paparazzi out, not attacks, or this guy wasn't as smart as everyone says. But even as smart as I was, I knew that I couldn't make it unless I had some sort of financial backing.

I wondered if the Merchant of Death would have missiles ready to shoot down anyone that dared mess up the lawn.

Either way, I broke into a light jog, my sore feet protesting every step. This guy had a ridiculously long driveway. Like seriously, who spends money on something as dumb as this?

I was finally up to the front door. I took a deep breath.

Before I could knock, some ginger in a pantsuit and high heels opened the door. "How did you get past the security?" She asked coldly.

"I…" I couldn't respond. My throat had choked up. Was this woman Stark's wife? "Who are you?"

She arched an eyebrow. "My name is Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries," she said stiffly. "But that's irrelevant. Who are you?"

"Holly… Stark."

Almost immediately, I saw her face go through several different expressions. The first was disbelief, then recognition, hurt, and then back to the cold mask that had greeted me when I walked in the door. She sighed. "Another one? Let's get this over quickly." She turned around, and I followed her into the kitchen. It was then that the power flickered back on.

"Pepper, I've got all systems back on. It was a nice trick, but nothing spectacular. S.H.I.E.L.D is going to have to work a whole lot harder if_" Stark broke off, looked at me. "Who's the midget?"

I immediately shut down. It was true then, despite the fact that I hoped that he knew I existed and wanted to meet me, that to him, I was the result of a one night stand.

Okay, so my 'worst case scenario' thoughts were going to have to come true. I prove I'm his kid with a paternity test, and then I get him to give me some money so I don't starve on the streets. Some plan.

"My name is Holly Stark. You probably had a one night stand with someone you don't even remember, and I want a paternity test." Good. My voice hadn't wavered, just sounded bored.

Stark shrugged. "Let's get this over with," he said, his voice sounding equally as bored. "Pepper, can you take her? I've got to get back to work on making plans for the Tower."

I bit my lip. So he didn't even want to spend time with me now and was shoving me off on his assistant? Classy. But still, I knew that being a jerk wouldn't get me what I wanted in the end, which at this point was definitely financial security. Gone were the thoughts of potentially actually living here, getting a dad, a home… mostly, anyway.

I quietly followed Pepper to a waiting car. She sat in the back with me, eyeing me nervously- like she thought I was going to steal something. Okay, maybe I've pickpocketed when I've gotten a chance, but never more than I needed for survival the last couple weeks. I hated the way she was looking at me, though. Like I was nothing more than a thief. "I have my birth certificate, if you want to see it," I offered.

She gave me a tight-lipped smile. "I don't know what game you're playing, girl, or where you're from, but if you're trying to discredit Mr. Stark, you will regret it."

I looked down at my lap, mentally willing myself not to cry- or, more likely, say something snarky back. I've gotten good at controlling my tongue in the six months since Mom died. That was a terrible Christmas. Oh, crap, now I really was going to cry. I glanced at Pepper and saw that she was still staring at me, and I guess something in my expression softened her.

"I'm sorry. You said your name was Holly? I'm sorry, Holly. It's just that this is not a good time for us_ Mr. Stark. You know about that attack in New York? Well_"

"What attack?" I asked, alarmed.

She looked at me strangely. "The one that's still all over the media?"

I hated the tone in her voice. That judgement, like I was a spoiled brat that didn't pay any attention to what was going on in the world. "Sorry, but it's kind of hard to keep up to date with CNN when you're locked in a closet," I shot back.

Crap. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't want pity. "So, what happened in the battle?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

"I want to hear more about you first, and then we'll talk about the battle."

I turned my head away and looked out the window. No way. I'm not falling into that trap. After a few minutes of silence, my mind drifted off. How long until we got to wherever the paternity test was going to be held?

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, I felt something touch my arm. Reflexively, my arms flew up to protect my face and I cowered before I realized where I was. Strapped into the backseat of some fancy car I didn't know the name of, with a woman who didn't like me but probably wanted to call social services to get me off of the streets.

"Holly? We're here." I knew by the expression on her face that the touch on the arm hadn't been to wake me up, it had been a test, and I had proven her suspicions right.

I didn't say anything to her, just got out of the car and followed her into the lab.

A man with a purple polo and khakis greeted us at the door. "I got your message." He turned to me. "My name is Dr. Banner, and I'm going to be the one performing the test. I just need to swab the inside of your cheek, okay?" He led me into a private exam room and Pepper stayed in the lobby, only about ten feet away. Good.

I opened my mouth and let Dr. Banner do the swab. "I'm not lying, you know," I told him. "You'll see." I don't know why, but it was important to me that Dr. Banner knew that I wasn't a liar. He seemed to radiate kindness. But at the same time, there was something else there, even though I didn't exactly know what it was.

He showed me the swab. "Well, we'll know in a few hours," he said, before leaving the room. I'll be back in a little bit, I'm going to go look up your medical records after I get this started."

I hopped up onto the paper covered cot. Wondered if there was anything worth stealing in the drawers. Probably not. After just a couple minutes, a woman in a lab coat came in and said she needed to examine me. I figured Pepper probably told them what had happened in the car, and what that implied. I wanted to refuse, but the truth was, I was banged up pretty bad from getting here, and I knew that I had some lacerations that were probably infected. So I shrugged and said sure. Anything to pass the time.

I had to hand it to her; the woman was professional. She didn't let anything on my body cause her to show surprise, even though I knew it looked pretty bad. After a while, she told me I could go sit in the lobby with Pepper or I could stay in here. I told her I wanted to stay in here and sleep.

Right.

As soon as she shut the door, I noiselessly hopped off the cot, grabbed the stethoscope, and half edged it under the door.

"What do you think?" I heard Pepper ask.

"Whoever this girl is, she's been through hell to get here. You're right; there's signs of abuse. Her medical records show that she's twelve and was born in Tempe, Arizona. She's not local."

"She's twelve? I thought for sure she was ten, at the oldest." God, I hated Pepper. Couldn't wait until I could get out of here.

"Severely malnourished."

Well, duh. Not exactly a bunch of cheeseburgers on the run, unless you fish them out of garbage cans. Man, I wanted a cheeseburger.

They weren't talking anymore, and I got bored of hanging out on the floor, waiting for something to happen. The cot was the most comfortable thing I've laid on in months, and I was tired from the exertion it took to get here and the stress of the day. I think it took me less than a minute to just conk out.

I don't know how long I was sleeping for, but it couldn't have been for long, because no one had come and gotten me with the results of the paternity test. I was starving, and I didn't have any food on me. Maybe there was a drinking fountain, although I don't remember if the last time I ate was yesterday or the day before, so I really needed to find something soon. Water would have to do for now. As soon as Stark gave me the money, I was going to go hunt down a McDonald's or a Wendy's.

I cautiously peeked out of the room. Pepper was in the waiting room, talking in a low voice to Banner. Both of their heads swiveled over when I stepped out of the room. "Is there a drinking fountain, anywhere?" I asked, trying to act casual. From the concerned look on Pepper's face, I was wondering if Banner had just told her the results. But then Stark burst through the doors, so I knew that they'd known for a little while and were just trying to find out what to do with me.

"Where is she?" Stark asked, out of breath. Then he saw me. "What's your mom's name?" He demanded.

I immediately bristled. I was hungry, I was cranky, and all this guy wanted to know is who he banged that let this happen. He'd probably try to sue, if she was still alive, for not using contraceptives.

"Elizabeth."

Stark looked at me like he'd seen a ghost. "Elizabeth Williams?" He demanded again. "Where is she?"

"She's dead!" I yelled. "She's dead and left me to my stepfather! Not like you care, just fucked her and left, right?" My voice tore through octaves. I felt like I just released all of the pain and frustration I felt in one blast. But I still didn't feel any better.

Man, I don't know what it is that gets adults riled up when they hear someone who apparently looks like a ten year old swear, but it was like I pulled a knife.

"Hey," Stark said. "Watch your language." His voice got softer. "Elizabeth- your mom, I mean- and I were in a relationship. You were a mistake, but your mom and I loved each other at the time." He then saw my expression. "Hey, kid, I didn't mean that," he said hurriedly.

My eyes got hard. "Well, I'm giving you a chance to fix your 'mistake', Stark," I growled. Enroll me in a University far away from here, financially support me just for six- really, only over three, since I can work at places when I'm sixteen- and I'll never go to the media. I'll never bother you again." My voice broke at the end. "I'm not looking for anything from you but a chance to make a life."

"Listen, kid, I'm a lot of things, but I'm no deadbeat dad," Stark tried to say, but I cut him off.

"My name is HOLLY! And I'm a mistake, I get that. You've got a lot going on with making weapons to kill millions of people, I get that too. Hurrah for you. Just pay my cost of attendance, at any university until I can make enough money to be on my own, and that's it. I'm out of your hair."

He studied me. Ran his fingers through his hair, so it stood on end. I couldn't tell if it was hurt that he was trying to hide, or something else. "Okay. I'll pay for your cost of attendance anywhere you want in the continental U.S. until you're eighteen. But do you think you could stay at my home in Malibu until fall semester starts? If that's a no, then I'll still pay your way, but you need to be either with me, or with your stepfather, because there's no way that I'm letting any child live on the streets. And Holly… I'm sorry about your mother."

I nodded. Tried not to let the tears fall, and succeeded. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Thank you, Mr. Stark. And I won't be any trouble, I swear. I'll study hard, and I won't get in your way."

"You're my kid."


	2. This Could Work

Tony's P.O.V

"Pepper, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear it! What type of man has unprotected sex and then doesn't check to see if anything came out of it? She's a nice girl, and you can tell she's a spitting image of you. Someone's hurt her really bad, and I don't think it was just you."

"Pepper, it was the type of man I used to be before… before Iron Man. I'm different. You know that. I was young and I was stupid… If I find out her stepfather laid a hand on her…" he trailed off with a growl.

Tony sighed, as all of his explanations- crappy as they were- were brushed off by Pepper. It had been a bad day- or a good day, he still wasn't sure. He hadn't slept in close to two days, the nightmares of New York plaguing him. Not that he'd admit it. Jarvis informing him there was an unauthorized visitor, and then the power getting cut. Then… a daughter. He had a daughter that he didn't know of. But he remembered her mother. The first 'real' relationship he had had… until she couldn't take knowing that he was the Merchant of Death.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about Elizabeth?" Pepper asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Because I love you. I loved Elizabeth at the time. But Pepper… I love you."

Pepper kissed him, then took a step back. "What are we going to do about Holly?"

"What do you mean? She's staying here until school starts in the fall. She should be okay in on-campus housing…" Especially if I get a plainclothes security guard, he mentally noted.

Pepper looked at him as though he was crazy, which described how he pretty much felt right now.

"She's twelve! She's a child. I don't care if you Starks have super high IQs. She shouldn't live on campus! She should stay here with us. Do online classes. Or take a jet."

"Look," Tony said, frustrated. "It's what she wants. The only reason why she's living here is because her stepfather- who probably abused her- is the only other option. She doesn't want me to be her dad, even if I wanted to be a dad to her."

Pepper was quiet for a minute. "Do you?"

"Pepper… she's my kid. Of course I do. I want the three of us to be a family. I want to take her to a baseball game, or build a robot, or teach her how to drive. I want us to go shopping and me be bored for four hours because you're going to all these clothing stores. I want to know her. This morning, it was all the Avengers, Stark Tower, worrying about Loki…" Tony broke off. "But everything's different now."

"I don't think she hates you, Tony."

Tony snorted. "She calls me 'Mr. Stark' even though I told her a million times today to call me Tony. I told her she was a mistake… now, that was a mistake." he chuckled without humor at his own joke. "Sounds like hate to me."

"She didn't go to the media. And she asked if you were okay after we left her room."

"Did you tell her the story?"

"Yes, but a black and white sketch. I didn't want to scare her. She doesn't know the full extent of Afghanistan or that you nearly died in the battle of New York. If you want to tell her, that's your decision and your story. But she knows the basics, enough for her to meet the Avengers."

Holly's P.O.V.

I hated being afraid of the dark. I knew I shouldn't be afraid right now, safe in my own room at the Malibu mansion.

After we left the lab, Tony asked me if I wanted anything to eat. I had shook my head, saying that I wasn't hungry. I was lying, of course, but I didn't want to accept anything from him. Saying I was a mistake like I wasn't even in the room.

Stark looked amused, then told his driver- who I found out, his name is Happy- to stop by McDonald's. Said he wanted a cheeseburger Happy Meal for the toy, which apparently was for someone named 'Steve' to help him get acquainted with pop culture. He asked me at the drive-thru if I was sure if I didn't want anything, then when I shrugged and said "Sure, get me whatever" I had to cave. I could smell the french fries from the parking lot!) He proceeded to order me three McDoubles, a twenty-piece Chicken Nugget, a large fry, two apple pies, and a chocolate milk.

Pepper and I stared at him. I was sitting in between the two in the backseat. He shrugged and said, "I could hear your stomach growling from across the room back at the lab. You don't have to eat all of it, but hey, in case you're really hungry…" He trailed off.

"I think we're more wondering why you ended that order with a chocolate milk… why not get a Caesar salad, too?" Pepper joked. I smiled, then tried to wipe the smile off my face.

Tony, seemingly encouraged by my small grin, tried to keep the act going. "Well, what do you think I'm going to do? Allow my kid to just eat _completely_ unhealthy? You know, there's apples in the pie, too. Apples are healthy."

I couldn't help it- my grin grew bigger. I was glad that he was trying to be nice.

I stopped grinning about twenty minutes later, though. I had eaten too much, too fast. I was so hungry, and hadn't eaten anything in so long, that I was now nauseous from the calories and the grease. Pepper seemed to realize this first, that it had been a bad idea for me to eat this much, this soon. I hadn't even thought of it, only thinking of the fact that I had to create two new, smaller holes in my belt on my journey here, and I had better make up for it.

When we got to the mansion, I couldn't stop myself any longer. "Where's the bathroom?" I asked. As soon as Tony showed it to me, I locked the door, hit the ground, and puked. I was making such a great impression.

However, when I walked out, Tony and Pepper were both waiting for me. Tony had a water bottle, toothbrush, and toothpaste in his hands. I took it, mumbled thanks, and went back into the bathroom.

"I'm going to talk to Bruce about this," I heard Tony whispering as I brushed my teeth. "She looks almost skeletal. I don't think she's eaten enough in a long time, and she probably needs a special diet or something."

"Already emailed him," Pepper said back. I wondered briefly why his CEO was hanging out with him, until we got to the rooming situation on the tour. We had already seen everything else but his workshop, which he explained he wanted to show me tomorrow.

"This is my and Pepper's bedroom. You need an access code to get in, as well as a retina scan. I'm going to put the same security on your room as well, and I'll put in your retina scan data later. What?" he asked, because I was looking at him, jaw gaping, like an idiot.

"I didn't know that you guys were married," I muttered. "Sorry."

"We're not, yet. Only dating," Pepper answered. "And… I'm sorry, too. I know this is hard on you."

Tony looked stunned, like he was surprised that Pepper wasn't mad at him. Maybe the redhead had a temper.

Tony cleared his throat, and then gestured to a room down the hall. "Anyway," he said. "This is yours. I'm sorry that it isn't personalized; you tell Jarvis what you want, and he'll get it for you. Sorry about the size, too; this is the biggest guest room I've got. On the way over here, I got one of my assistants to get some basic clothes for you. If you don't like them, just let me know, and we'll get you ones that you like. Your bathroom is right through the door. Do you have any questions? Is there anything right now you want to change?"

I looked at him like he was crazy. He was acting nervous, like I wouldn't like it. There was a king bed, a walk in closet, my own bathroom, a flat screen TV, a bookshelf filled with classics, and a mini fridge. I could happily live the rest of my life in here!

"No, this is really nice. Thank you, Mr. Stark," I said. I saw pain in his eyes when I called him that, but I couldn't help it. I was waiting for him to do something like the monster I thought he was. I did have a question, though. "Who is Jarvis?"

Mr. Stark grinned. "He's an AI that I created. Jarvis, care to introduce yourself?"

All of the sudden, a voice appeared to sound from everywhere and said, "Hello, Ms. Stark. My name is Jarvis, and I take care of the security of the household and assist Mr. Stark in anything he needs." I detected a bitter note in Jarvis' tone.

"Does he not like me already?" I asked, miffed.

Stark chuckled. "He got shut down by a twelve year old kid with a screwdriver, that's why. Jarvis? Cut the tone."

"Yes, Mr. Stark. My apologies, Ms. Stark."

"Holly, just Holly." I turned to Stark. "You built him? How?"

"I'll get into that later, okay? Tomorrow. Promise. I'll show you my workshop and we'll talk mechanics. No need to bore Pepper right now. Besides, we've got some other stuff to get to. He took a deep breath. "Okay, Holly? You've heard of the Avengers, right? Well, um, they kind of hang out here sometimes. Actually, a lot of the time. They live here, too, but most of them are out on a mission right now. Dr. Banner is staying in his lab tonight, working on… something."

"The Avengers?" I asked, puzzled.

"She doesn't know about New York," Pepper told Tony. He froze, seeming to fight panic. "Well… I guess… I'll have to tell her the basics," he said.

"I can, Tony," Pepper said. "Holly? Why don't you go take a bath or a shower, and then get on some clean clothes? Then you can meet us in the living room. If you don't know where that is, you can ask Jarvis, and he'll help you find it." Before I knew it, the two of them had left me in my room.

My room. Wow. I shook my head. I wanted to hate Stark for abandoning my mom. The guy I used to see on the TV years ago was an egotistical jerk, but this Tony seemed much more human. I wasn't going to let my guard down, but maybe… maybe this would work out. At least for the two or so months I had to live here.

I took a shower. I didn't mean to take so long, but I figured that since Pepper and Tony needed to talk, a long shower was okay. It felt SO good to be clean. And then, to put on clean clothes… I would never take clean clothes for granted ever again. My stomach had started growling again by the time I had gotten dressed and combed out all the knots in my hair, but Pepper had told me to meet her in the living room, and I didn't want to upset her. Besides, I was used to hunger, and I was practically dying of curiosity. I wanted to know what happened in New York.

I was surprised when I walked into the living room and saw Pepper sitting on the couch, a bowl and plate in front of her. Bread and what looked like chicken noodle soup, with a bottle of something. I must have looked confused, because Pepper explained, "The bottle is a nutrition shake. Dr. Banner said that you should be on a high calorie, but bland, diet for a little while. I don't know what happened to you, but he seems to think that you haven't been getting enough to eat for a while now." Seeing me immediately shut down, she quickly added, "But you don't need to tell me now. What I do want you to do is try to follow the diet that Dr. Banner put you on, meaning that you eat what he tells you and eat enough, okay?"

After barely being allowed to eat anything? Sounded great! But what I told her was simply, "I will. Where's Mr. Stark? Is he okay?"

She tried not to look pleased that I cared, but I saw it anyway. "Your father played a huge part in the battle, Holly. He, and the other Avengers, helped save the world."

I grinned a little. "You're playing me. Come on, I'm twelve, not four. Did Mr. Stark just nuke them?"

Her face grew stern. "Holly, this is serious. What I'm telling you is the entire story, not just the story the world knows. Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, the Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye… they saved the world."

"Who are they?"

She gaped at me. "You don't know that Tony is Iron Man?"

"What, he works with iron? Is that another nickname like 'Merchant of Death' or something?"

She took a deep breath and told me the story. About how Tony was captured in Afghanistan and how Yinsen sacrificed his life to save Tony's. How Tony fought his way out after creating an arc reactor in a cave and using it to power the first Iron Man suit. How when he got back, he stopped making weapons and looked more into the arc reactor and made Iron Man suits. How Tony had to create a new element to save his own life, because the arc reactor that my dad used to have in his chest was killing him. About the battle of New York and the other Avengers, Natasha, Steve, Clint, Thor, and Dr. Banner. About the Extremis effect. Then Tony destroying the suits and getting the shrapnel out of his chest. It was all so surreal that part of me didn't want to believe it, but I knew that it was the truth.

"How come I didn't know this? I didn't know this…" I felt alarmed. "I didn't know Tony even stopped making weapons. We didn't have cable, and I was so focused on graduating and then applying for colleges and then mom died…" I trailed off.

"Do you see now why we were so thrown off when you showed up here earlier?" Pepper asked as I finished eating. I had stopped eating as soon as she started talking, but Pepper told me that she wouldn't keep talking unless if I ate. It gave me something to do with my hands, so I didn't mind, and besides, I was starving again. I drained the bottle of the nutrition shake and tried not to make a face. The stuff was revolting.

"I'm sorry. I know you're going through a lot. But I'll carry my weight, I can clean and sort of cook and won't be any trouble."

"We're not going to make you do anything but pick up after yourself. You're a guest here, not a maid," Pepper said, squeezing my hand. I didn't like it. It made me uncomfortable, and I took my hand away.

I couldn't help myself, and I yawned. It was a huge, jaw cracking yawn, despite that I had slept today. Eyeing the clock, I realized why. It was well past one in the morning.

"You should get to sleep," Pepper said. "It's been a long day, and I'm sure you're overwhelmed. You remember the code to get into our room, right? Wake us up if you need anything." I nodded, though it felt weird to have someone tell me what to do in a nice way. I picked up my dishes and went to wash them, but Pepper told me to put them in the sink.

This is real. I'm in my bed at Tony Stark's mansion. I'm warm, my belly is full, and I'm clean. This is amazing.


	3. Meeting the Avengers

The next morning, I had to fight like a tiger to actually wake up. I hadn't slept deeply in so long, I had thought that I forgot how to.

Eventually, it all came crashing back. Stark was Iron Man. Stark was going to pay my tuition this fall. I was at his mansion.

Most importantly, I was safe.

I was still shocked. I hadn't known anything about the Avengers. Sure, I had heard of Hulk and of course Captain America, but not the Avengers as a whole. I had been pulled out of school roughly two years ago to rip through my high school education. I didn't have friends my age, and it's not like my mom and stepfather cared about current events when they were high. Not to mention I had rewired my school-issued laptop to block any mentions of the work 'Stark'. Which probably is the reason why…

Still, was it a shock that Stark made himself into something larger than life? Nope.

I got up, showered again just because it used to be such a luxury, and spent a few minutes unpacking my backpack before heading to the kitchen. Surprisingly, Tony was there, but Pepper was not. It was awkward, as this was the first time I was alone with him.

"So, uh… do you want to see my workshop after breakfast? I tried cooking, but, well…" He glanced sheepishly at two burnt rectangles on a plate. "So I figured we could go out for breakfast, or get it delivered..."

Part of me wanted to say "No. I can cook my own breakfast, thanks." But I realized, as much as I wanted to hate this man, that he was trying. And I did really want to see his workshop. Spending an entire meal with him would be awkward, but I could let him order breakfast.

"Getting breakfast delivered would be nice."

He grinned broadly, and gave me a menu with three different meal choices to choose from. "Just tell Jarvis what you want. Sorry they're all bland, but after what happened yesterday… well, we just want you to feel better. If you don't like anything on that, I can call Bruce…"

I scanned for a second,noting that it was all pretty bland choices, and then made a decision. "Jarvis? Could I please have meal two?" I asked.

"Certainly, Ms. Stark."

I cringed. "Holly, just Holly."

"My apologies."

Three minutes later, Happy walked in with breakfast. I felt awkward getting served, and I thanked him and Tony profusely. Tony seemed fine with just black coffee, which he made himself. It was probably one of the only things he could make, if he couldn't even make toast. I felt awkward eating my breakfast of fruit salad, toast, scrambled eggs, and another God-awful nutrition shake while he sipped only coffee, but if he wanted something he could order it.

I tried to eat as quickly as I could, because Tony was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. I had a feeling that he liked showing off his work to people. As soon as I was done, Tony started talking. "Okay, so, this building is now like Stark Tower, in terms of the energy it uses. Have you ever heard of the arc reactor? You're in for a treat."

The next several hours were spent with Tony sort of quizzing me up on my knowledge of mechanical and electrical engineering. I didn't have a college degree, but I had done enough research in my spare time that I knew enough. I had a feeling he was testing me, but I enjoyed it. It was rare that I got to talk to someone who was at least as smart as me. Scratch that- it had never happened. I started offering ideas to improve some of his latest works in progress, as well as getting ideas of my own. It wasn't until almost dinner (Jarvis had lunch sent down, and both Tony and I took a short break to wolf it down) when Tony showed me the Iron Man suit.

It was exquisite. I didn't think such things were possible, and I told him so. He looked at me.

"You start by doing what's necessary. Then you do what's possible. Eventually, you're doing the impossible."

I don't think I've ever understood another human being so clearly. We were both quiet for a few minutes, and Tony looked at me with a curious expression. Almost like a kid that was afraid of dogs, but when he was introduced to a fluffy puppy, he realized they weren't too bad.

I was trying to find something witty to say. I didn't like this awkward silence. Luckily, we were interrupted by a huge clap of thunder that made me jump and yelp.

"Where are you, Man of Iron?" Called a booming voice.

Tony rolled his eyes. "You're about to meet Thor. He has a flair for dramatic entrances."

I laughed- a real laugh, and Tony's eyes lit up. "Let's go."

You didn't have to look at Thor for longer than a second to know he was a God. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to bow or something, but when Tony casually asked, "What's up, Sparky?" I knew that I wouldn't get blasted for not showing respect.

"I require more of the fruit filled pastries."

"You seriously just want more pop-tarts? You walked in my front door_"

"Actually, I entered through the roof. Who is the fair maiden?"

I cleared my throat. "My name's Holly. I'm going to be staying here until the fall, and them I am going to go study at University."

"She's… she's…" I saw Tony was struggling to get it out there, so I decided to just spit it out for him.

"I'm his kid," I explained in a bored voice. "He got lucky one night and then didn't use contraceptives. But he and my mom were in a relationship, so it's apparently fine." I knew I sounded like a brat, but I didn't care. Tony couldn't admit it.

"Ah. Lady Stark, nice to meet your acquaintance. You look much like the Man of Iron."

"Nice to meet you too. But please- my name is Holly."

Thor inclined his head, and then turned to Tony, who looked a little depressed. Great. He was ashamed for his Avenger teammates to know about me. Before Thor could get a word out, I coldly spat out, "I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight."

I walked as quickly to my room as possible. I was stupid. Just because I spent a great day with Tony in his workshop didn't mean that he wanted a kid. He just liked showing off what he did, and if he had to have a kid, he wanted to check to make sure I was smart. I sat down on my bed, trying not to get angrier. I wasn't really even angry at Tony. I was angry at myself. Hadn't I learned long ago that you can't rely on anyone?

There was a knock on the door later, I'm not sure how much later though, because I was reading a new book. I didn't have much time to read for fun when I was ripping through coursework, so having practically an entire library at my disposal was fun. I finally was going to get through the Harry Potter series.

"Come in," I yelled to whoever knocked, wildly distracted.

"Hey, Holly," I heard Pepper say as she entered. I looked up. "How was your day?"

I struggled for words. It was honestly the best day I have had in awhile, even if Tony was embarrassed of me. "It was okay. How was yours?"

"Exhausting." She smiled. "I heard you met Thor earlier."

I shrugged. "Yeah. He was… interesting," I snorted, trying not to think about that he had come to Earth just to get pop-tarts.

Pepper smiled. "How would you like to meet the rest of the Avengers? They're all here right now, and Tony likes to get everyone together for pizza and a movie when everyone's off from missions."

I snorted again. That sounded like the most ridiculous thing ever. A superhero pizza party? Besides, Tony probably didn't want me around them. Still, I wanted to meet them. And I loved pizza. "Can I actually eat the pizza?" I asked skeptically. I appreciated all that they had done for me, but I had practically survived on garbage on the last leg of the way here. I could stomach something other than a bland diet.

Pepper laughed. "Yes, that's fine."

I bookmarked my place in the first edition copy of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ , hopped off my bed, and followed Pepper into the living room.

It was literally the most bizarre thing I had ever seen in my entire life. There was Dr. Banner, looking kind and calm, Captain America, the picture of an all-American boy; Black Widow, who radiated confidence; Hawkeye, who was on top of the fridge; Thor, _a God,_ eating a piece of Hawaiian pizza while reclining on the sofa; and lastly, Tony, who was smiling at me.

"This is Holly," he announced as soon as he saw me. "She's going to be staying with us for awhile."

Clearly, Pepper and Tony had already explained the situation, because Black Widow walked over to me. "Wow. You weren't kidding. She looks just like you, Tony."

I tried to smile at her. It wasn't easy, knowing that she was an assassin capable of killing me before I even would know what she was doing.

She smiled back. "I'm Natasha Romanoff."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Romanoff," I said shyly.

She made a face. "Natasha, or I'm going to call you Ms. Stark."

I made a face. "Deal… Natasha."

Hawkeye hopped down from the fridge. "Clint Barton. Just Clint. Nice to meet you. Tony, can I teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow?"

"No!" Tony and Pepper yelled at the same time. "At least… not in the house," Tony said, struggling, because I clearly had an angry expression on. I worked to make it blank. "I'll build you a shooting range. Clint? Non-explosive only."

Clint winked at me. "Sure, Tony, whatever."

I decided I liked Clint. Especially if he was going to teach me how to shoot explosive arrows.

Captain America grinned at me. "Steve Rogers, at your service ma'am."

I just grinned. Captain America. Wow. "Hi, Steve."

Someone threw in the movie Legally Blonde, to 'educate Ice Cap on pop culture' and I ate a few slices of pizza.

Then Tony brought out liquor. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to get out of there. I couldn't logically explain the panicky reaction, but I just knew I had to leave. I mumbled some excuse and left quickly, trying to block the images of my home life from my mind.

Pepper and the Avengers watched the kid half run out of the room as soon as Tony grabbed a bottle of scotch. At first, Pepper was confused, and then it clicked for her, and clearly the rest of the Avengers.

"What triggered this?" Tony asked, bewildered, as it dawned on him. The Avengers were all reclining on comfortable sofas, the screen was showing Elle Woods in her first law school class. Nothing had changed except_

Tony looked at the bottle in his hand, where all of the other Avengers were looking, and cursed.

"Her stepfather or mother was probably an alcoholic," Dr. Banner stated, trying to be calm. "Based on her reaction… it's safe to say alcohol was probably related to the signs of abuse she's been showing."

Tony gripped the bottle tightly and considered throwing it. But instead, he took a deep breath and put the bottle down firmly. He wouldn't be picking one up again anytime soon, even if it killed him. He couldn't change the past. But he could help his daughter.

His daughter, who was brilliant and polite and kind. _His_ daughter.

"Bruce, you're the doctor. I want to go in and talk to her. Someone should. Should they?"

"Tony, you know that I'm not a psychiatrist_"

"Damn it, Bruce, I need something or I am going to track her stepfather down and kill him."

"She's an abuse victim. We can have her talk to a therapist, but in the meantime, unless she shows signs of hurting herself or someone else, we should let her be alone.

Tony counted to ten, took a deep breath, and snarled, "Jarvis. Monitor her. If her heart and respiration rates do not go back to normal within a decent amount of time, notify me immediately. If she shows signs of hurting herself or leaving, notify me immediately and do your best to prevent that until we can get there."

The Avengers and Pepper all looked at each other. Natasha stated what they were all feeling. "We're all going to help this kid. Clint gets archery, can I teach her martial arts?"


	4. Family

I wasn't sure how long I had been freaking out for- and hour, a day, a week? I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think straight. Stark was an alcoholic. Nothing was different. Was every male an alcoholic? I didn't think so. I just… I had gotten my hopes up. And now… nothing was different. Stark was the same as my stepfather.

I didn't hear the knock on the door, I didn't see anyone come in. But suddenly, there was someone next to me, holding me tightly, trying to massage fist so my fingers would stop biting into my palms. I couldn't remember ever being held like this.

I saw a flash of red. Pepper. She was mumbling something in a language I didn't understand.

After what seemed like a year, my muscles relaxed, my heart rate slowed down, and my vision was able to focus.

It wasn't Pepper. It was Natasha. I was too tired to be embarrassed.

"It's okay, Holly." she didn't say anything else, and I didn't know what to say. After a pause, she took a deep breath. "Sometimes, bad things happen to very good people. And it's not their fault. And they might feel kind of messed up for awhile, but it makes them stronger and it makes them better, if they let it. Or, they let it consume them. Are you going to become stronger from this?"

I looked at Natasha. I didn't know what to say to her.

"You don't have to do it alone."

I was grumpy the next morning as Happy drove me, Pepper, and Natasha to the mall. One, I didn't really like clothes shopping (guessing from Natasha's grimacing about all of Pepper's fashion talk, she didn't either, and was with us due to her defensive skills in case we were attacked). Two, I hadn't slept well, it was really early, and I was one of those people who got pretty cranky if I didn't sleep. Three, I hadn't seen Tony since last night, and Pepper was also being annoyingly cheerful, and I was taking that to mean that she felt awkward about what had happened last night and was trying to avoid the topic. I was trying to keep my answers short and monosyllabic if possible, but Pepper was not letting up. I knew that she and Tony were doing something incredible, buying me an entire new wardrobe, but I was so irritated that I didn't care.

Finally, I exploded. "Yeah, I freaked out last night. I know you feel awkward. Just spit out whatever you want to say. I hate small talk."

Natasha shot me a look. I don't know if it was pity or understanding. The assassin was great at hiding her thoughts.

Pepper looked shocked that I called her out, but quickly composed herself. "Are you sure?"

I nodded curtly, clenching my fists.

"Was your stepfather an alcoholic?"

I nodded again.

"What about your mother?"

I gave one nod.

"Did either of them ever hurt you?" It was Natasha that asked that question, and Pepper sent her a glare.

Hurt me. That's putting it lightly. "My… stepfather."

Pepper seemed to chew on this for a few minutes. "I know you don't want to talk about this. But Holly? If you ever need to, I'm here for you. Tony is here for you. The Avengers are here for you. You are not alone anymore."

Natasha sent me a grin, knowing that it was basically the same thing she had said to me last night.

I nodded again, but I felt the tension leave my shoulders.

"Okay. Now, let's try this again. Which stores do you like to shop in?"

Apparently, according to Pepper, Tony would have an aneurism if he found out that I had gone to Walmart or Target- stores I liked- for my wardrobe. This is how I found myself outside of Abercrombie Kids.

"Pepper, do I really have to go in there?"

"The clothes are cute!"

"But I'd look ridiculous in them!"

She shot me a look. "No one dressed by me ever looks ridiculous. Just ask Steve."

"What?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. Just try things on! Maybe you'll surprise yourself."

Natasha followed us. "You know, as much as I hate to admit it, Pepper's right. She's got great fashion sense."

I grimaced.

I followed Pepper around the store as she picked out clothes that were nothing like the plain jeans, t-shirt and high-top Converse that I had on. They were like the clothes the kids that used to pick on me wore.

Pepper practically pushed me into the changing room. "Come out when you're done! Just find out which jean and short sizes fit you, and then you can model the different tops for me.

I mumbled a swear word under my breath and went into the changing room.

I completely avoided looking at myself in the mirror as I changed. I didn't want to see how stupid I looked in preppy clothes. Walking out of the dressing room. I put on a glare and folded my arms. I felt like an idiot.

"Holly… you look great! Not that you didn't before, but those clothes look cute on you!"

I glanced at the tank top and shorts I was wearing. "You're being serious?"

Natasha poked her head in. "Hey, you do look pretty good. And those are clothes you could fight in, if you have to. You can move in them. Great choice, Pepper."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

It felt like I tried stuff on for two hours, but Natasha informed me later that it had only been about twenty minutes. After we paid, Pepper had me go change into one of the outfits to actually wear and sent Happy to go put the rest of the bags in the car.

"Okay, haircut," Pepper informed me. She checked her palm pilot. "We've got ten minutes to get there."

I looked at her. "What? Why do I need a haircut for?"

Pepper looked bemused. "Well, when you put it down, it's pretty uneven."

"Hey!" I said, offended. "I do it myself."

"Well, luckily you don't have to do it anymore," Natasha said with a laugh. "I guess you can count out beautician school as part of your prospects. What were you thinking of majoring in?"

I grinned "Well, I'm really good with computers. Freakishly good. I'd love to know more about how to build them. I'm great at building machines, but the computer system in them- well, it's beautifully complicated, and I'd love to be able to do it flawlessly."

"I feel like I'm talking to Tony," Natasha joked.

I felt my expression go flat. "Yeah, which is why I don't want to do it. I don't want to be like Mr. Stark."

Pepper tried to keep the peace. "So, what are you thinking of majoring in, then? It sounds like you love mechanical things. You don't have to be a weapons or a supersuit engineer."

I hesitated. Why should I tell these people my life goals? "Well, I'd really love to do biomechanical engineering. The human body is the most fascinating machine."

After a hefty tip to the hairdresser to keep silent, my hair was evenly cut and had gotten a Malibu treatment. At Pepper's insistence, I kept it down, adding insult to injury with my preppy clothes and new hair cut. I knew I looked like an idiot. At least I didn't have to see myself in a mirror yet, as being an expert at avoiding looking them, I had successfully not focused on my reflection in the salon.

"Last thing…" Pepper said hesitantly. "We need to get you a few clothes for fancy occasions. Tony hosts a lot of events."

"Okay," I said, not thinking too much of it.

But when Pepper and Natasha took me to a store that had a bunch of dresses in the display window, I shot them a look of disgust. "No. Hell no."

"Hey, language," Pepper admonished.

"There is no way that I'm wearing a dress! You cant fight in those, right?" I looked imploringly at Natasha.

"Sure you can. If you have to."

I groaned and sent Pepper a pouty face. "I've never worn a dress in my life. Please don't make me. I'll wear a pantsuit like you always do!"

Pepper laughed. "A twelve year old is not wearing a pantsuit."

I couldn't believe Pepper had gotten my to try on a _dress._

What was worse, is that she had noticed I had refused to look in the mirror and was now trying to force me to.

"Please Holly, just look."

I took a deep breath. It wouldn't kill me. With some trepidation, I looked up.

The kid in front of me looked angry. Her hair was clean and straight, with some interesting looking side bangs that framed her face. The dress she had on was pretty- it was the same ocean-colored shade as her eyes and complimented them nicely.

It was me. My expression softened. I didn't look like an idiot. I looked like me.

"It'd look better with a smile," Pepper encouraged.

She cared. Tony cared. The Avengers cared. I gave my reflection a small smile.

Natasha smiled, too. "Holly Stark, you beautiful girl."


	5. Home

I was in a good mood when Pepper, Natasha, and I got back to the mansion. I thanked Pepper and Natasha profusely for taking me and immediately went to put my new clothes away. It was weird- I had never been materialistic before, but I had never had more than three pairs of pants and five shirts at one time, so this was incredible. I didn't think putting away clothes was fun, but I probably spent a good half hour making sure everything was put away just right. When I was sure they were organized the way I wanted them to be, I headed back to the kitchen with the intent to find my dad.

I wanted to thank him, too, because it was very generous of him- two days ago I had threatened to tell his scandal to the media, and he was being incredibly nice. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him, but I was raised with manners.

When I had almost reached the kitchen, I stopped short and pressed myself against the wall. A man, who's voice I didn't know, was screaming. And Tony was screaming back.

"Stark, what the hell were you thinking, reproducing? I don't want to deal with this!"

"Like it or not, she's here, she's here to stay. Keep insulting my kid like this and I'll throw you out!"

"I'm not insulting your kid, I'm insulting you!"

I smirked. Whoever this guy was, he was about to get the wrath of both of the Starks.

I stepped into the kitchen, threw on my best Tony Stark replica smirk, and crossed my arms. "Said kid in question right here," I said to the tall, African American man standing in the middle of the kitchen. I turned to Tony. "Who the hell let a pirate in here?"

While Tony and the rest of the Avengers, who were sitting around the kitchen, tried to stifle their laughter, Steve and Pepper both sternly said "Language!"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Captain Eyepatch, who groaned and looked like he had a migraine.

"Really? Really Stark? You go and make a female version of you? I do not get paid enough to deal with this bullshit."

"Yeah, you don't! So you should leave," I said in an almost person cadence of Tony's voice.

Everyone in the kitchen went dead quiet and looked at me. "Okay, that was almost creepy. I didn't know you could do that," Tony said while offering me his hand to high-five. I hesitated, wondering if I should ignore it, but then decided, what the hell. We had a common enemy over here right now. I slapped him five, then folded my arms again and leaned against the counter.

"She's definitely your kid, Stark. Just send me that copy of the paternity test. So here's the thing. You all go on missions all the time. I can't spare agents. Who's gonna babysit it?

"It's name is Holly. And I don't need a babysitter," I said coldly. I hated bullies.

The man sighed. "Stark, how much does she know?"

Tony shrugged. "Pretty much everything."

"I may not like you that much, but you're not stupid. You know she'll need a way to protect herself."

"We can teach her," Steve piped up.

"Can't spare you guys. She's gonna have to come to SHIELD for training."

Suddenly, Tony's calm mask split and he freaked. "MY daughter is not going anywhere with you! If she needs to train, the Avengers can train her, or I can. Get the hell out before I kick your ass."

The rolled his one eye up to the ceiling and mumbled to himself before spitting out, "Fine. You guys teach her. I want reports on what she's learning. Starting tomorrow."

"Bye, Patchy!" I called merrily after him.

After he was out of earshot, I turned back to the Avengers. "Who's the dude?"

"Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury," Steve explained helpfully.

"He's a bastard!" Tony spat out. "Talking about my kid like that. Wanting to take you." He turned to me. "Great jokes, by the way. Definitely no doubt we're related, now."

I smiled a little. "Thanks. And thank you for the clothes,"

He shrugged, waved it off. "It's not a big deal. So_"

I shook my head. "No, it is. Thank you."

He smiled and nodded once. "Okay. So, training you so you wont be a damsel in distress. I can do mechanical weapons training. Maybe even get you an emergency suit_"

"No suit. She's not fighting," Pepper said immediately.

I threw her a glare. "Better fight than have my ass kicked."

"We'll discuss the finer details later. Natasha, you already claimed martial arts, but I want you to cover shooting as well. Legolas, archery. Capscicle, workouts and general defense. Bruce_" Tony hesitated, clearly unsure of what the Hulk could teach me.

"Meditation," Bruce Banner said quietly.

"Right," Tony said. "And Thor- Norse history. Make sure she knows all that stuff. Can't hurt."

I didn't like them discussing me like I wasn't even in the room, but the thing was, I really wanted to learn what they had to teach me. I really hadn't had a proper teacher before. And granted, while this wouldn't really get me a degree, I had a feeling it would be invaluable anyway.

Tony looked at me. "Does that sound good?"

I nodded. "Can't wait! When can I start? Now?"

Bruce cleared his throat. "It probably wouldn't be a great idea to start yet, Holly. I know you're tough, but getting here really took a toll on your body. I know Fury said tomorrow, but I wouldn't suggest anything too strenuous until next week. So, theory only, guys," he said sternly.

"One other thing," Tony said. He seemed to hesitate. "Stark Tower could be ready for us all in two days. You each could have a apartment-style floor. I think we should move back to New York."

I knew from his face that Tony likely never wanted to step foot in New York again. I didn't blame him. I had half a feeling he was hoping the others would say no.

But Steve nodded, and the rest of the group shrugged.

"Okay. Two days, we're moving there. Holly? Day after that, you start training. Fury can't expect me to build a state of the art Avengers training center in a day. Two days, sure, but one? Come on…"

The last two days at the Malibu mansion were strange. I think a lot of the reason was that I didn't have to do anything. No one was demanding that I study, cook or clean. If I wanted to, I could read for fun, watch Tony fiddle with interesting machines (sometimes when I tried asking him questions, he either ignored me or got snappish before apologizing, but he told me not to take it personally, he just didn't like being interrupted), or watch movies with Pepper (if she wasn't working) or Steve (if he was there). I could do pretty much whatever I wanted, as long as I didn't leave the mansion. That rule seemed a bit constraining at first, because I love going outside, but I figured the Avengers likely had enemies.

But I think the oddest part about living with the Avengers is that they actually seemed to like me. No one pretended like I was a burden, and no one ignored me. It was really weird to come into a room and have someone ask me how I was doing.

I knew that this was only temporary, that I was headed to University at the end of the summer, so I tried to keep my guard up. But it was hard. Especially when everyone was there, like the very last night in Malibu, and Pepper, the Avengers, and I all had dinner together. It made something in my chest ache, watching everyone pick on each other and ask how each others' day went with no angry words exchanged and no hateful looks. I knew it wouldn't last, that I'd be off to college soon, but something in me hoped that it would.

I had never flown before, and after flying in Tony Stark's personal jet, I knew that Delta wouldn't be very impressive. I was nervous to fly, of course, but I tried to play it off as cool. I doubt I fooled the world's most impressive group of superheroes, but I tried. The thing that I really hadn't realized though was that flying was _boring._ After take off, there was nothing to do. Which is probably why I got so ridiculously excited when Tony took out your average chess set and showed it to me. "Wanna play?" He asked tentatively.

I think he realized, mostly because I had been mostly calling him Mr. Stark the past few days, that although I was really grateful for what he had done for me, I wasn't interested in having any sort of father-daughter relationship with him. But I _was_ bored, and I've never gotten to play chess with someone who's even close to my intelligence, so I grinned. "Sure, Tony, you're on. But prepare to get your butt kicked."

"I play winner," Bruce announced, and suddenly, everyone was paying attention to my and Tony's game.

"Black or white?" Tony asked.

"Black. You can go first… old man."

He took his first move. "Trash talking? Okay, shorty. Pepper, make a note to put the cookies on the top shelf in the pantry at the Tower."

"I'll just steal your suit to get it."

"No one can steal my suit. You'd have to go through Jarvis to get it."

"Already have."

"I'll ground you."

"Good luck catching me if I have your suit!"

"Check."

"Nice try, Tony, now you're down a queen."

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

"I was hoping you'd actually be a good opponent."

"That's it. Grounded."

"Can't handle my sass? Think I inherited that from you. Check mate."

I had been so engaged in the game, I hadn't realized that all of the Avengers were staring openmouthed at me. I realized that that was probably the closest I had been to myself the entire time I'd been here. Hell, scratch that- it was the closest I'd been to being myself since my mom married my creep stepfather.

"Um, sorry, I…"

"Sorry? That was great! No one's ever beat him. It was a good game to watch," Steve said.

"Watch it, Spangles," Tony moped. Then he perked up. "Hey, since you're half me, does this mean that I get partial credit?"

"Twelve percent," Pepper said, looking up from her palm pilot.

I didn't get the joke, but the Avengers' laughs were infectious, and I couldn't help but join in.

When we landed on the roof of Stark Tower in New York, I was almost sorry the ride was over. I finally lost to Natasha, thanks to a lapse in concentration when Tony started quizzing me up on my education before I had gotten here. I hated thinking about my home life, but unfortunately my education was wrapped into that. I didn't mind the questions too much; Tony wasn't unkind about it. As much as I hated to admit it, I really liked that he cared.

We stepped off the landing pad and I gawked at New York's skyline. "You know, besides the trip I took from Tempe to Malibu, and to here of course, I've never travelled," I said.

"Make a bucket list of places you want to go," Tony mentioned. "We could make trips during Winter and Spring Break." He suddenly looked panicked. "If you want to, of course. Um, let's get the tour started," he said quickly.

In an awkward silence we descended into the tower. "Okay, Legolas. Penthouse is yours; I know how you like being up high. Floor directly underneath is you, Romanoff. Then there's a communal gym underneath you, and underneath the gym is Spangles, below him is Thor, and then there's a communal living space with a kitchen, dining room, living room. Below that is My, Pepper, and Holly's floor, and below us is Bruce's. Then there's a bunch of other floors like shooting ranges, an armory, a couple of libraries- one's research based, one's fiction, and a few other floors for stuff related to Stark Industries. To get places, you go in the elevator, hit whatever floor you want to go to, and then you can get off; but you'll be in a little room with a thumb print and retina scanner, and you can only get to places where your information has been programed in. I've designed your rooms with stuff I think you'll like; if you don't, just let Jarvis know, and he'll take care of it."

The Avengers started getting off at their floors and thanking Tony. When it was just him, me, Pepper, and Bruce left, He turned to me. "You've got access to every common area except the armory. Sorry, about that, and that you don't have your own floor. I wanted to design you one, but Pepper didn't think it was responsible or something. I'm not sure where the Avengers want to train you yet; if it's in their place, then they can have Jarvis add your information into their scanner. And if you don't like your room, let me know. It's designed in the same way as your one in Malibu, but I changed it a little to what I thought was more your taste. If its not, just let Jarvis know."

We stepped off the elevator. On our floor, when you walked in, there was the kitchen and a living room. "The doors over there lead to my and Pepper's room and a gym; on the other is a library and your room," he told me.

But I could have figured it out without him telling me. On the door to my room, at about eye level, was a sign that clearly said _Holly's Room._

I don't know why a stupid sign should make me feel this way. "My room," I whispered.

"As long as you want it," Pepper and Tony said at the same time. Tony then seemed to struggle with words. "I really want you to feel at home here," he mumbled.

I paused. "Maybe I could," I whispered.


	6. Training

I nervously tightened the laces on my running shoes in the elevator. I didn't know what Captain America had in store for our workout. Last night at dinner, Steve had only told me to meet him in the communal gym at five A.M. sharp. I was pretty nervous; even though I was tough, and had never been overweight, I had never had a workout regimen before.

It was only 4:45 when I stepped into the gym, but Steve was already there waiting for me. "Good morning, Ms. Stark," he greeted me.

"Morning Steve. Please call me Holly," I reminded him again. The guy was way too polite.

"Holly, we aren't really going to hit the ground running for a couple more weeks yet for a few reasons. One, you're already underweight; burning calories isn't going to help that, especially if you are burning off more than you're gaining. You can't exactly gain muscle if you're burning off everything you're eating. So, today, and for the next few days, I'm going to be teaching you technique and we'll just be having a light workout. Sound good?"

Steve's idea of a 'light' workout this morning nearly killed me, and although he told me to tell him if it was too hard for me, I refused to let my discomfort show. First, to warm up, we ran on the treadmills. Three miles. With Steve kindly critiquing my technique the whole way. I really regretted eating breakfast the whole time. After that, we did push ups and crunches, lunges and wall sits, and then Steve introduced me to the punching bag. Even though my arms were burning and my legs were shaky, I did my best and after Steve's corrections, had a basic punch down.

"Excellent job today, Holly. Now, I know today was easy, but tomorrow will be harder, don't worry."

I tried not to grimace. Now I knew why my dad mostly wanted to punch the guy. "Thanks, Steve."

"Natasha looks ready for you," Steve told me, gesturing to the door.

Wait. I had to go straight to martial arts now? My clothes and hair were slick with sweat, despite the cool temperature of the gym. Also, I was starving. But I turned to Natasha and grinned. "Okay, teach me how to kick ass."

"Language," chastised both Steve and Natasha.

"Okay, When anyone else does it, only Steve yells at them. Why do you both yell at me?"

"Okay, so first thing we'll be working on is flexibility," Natasha said, completely ignoring me. "You're young, so you have the advantage of already being flexible just because of that, but you need more than that. Then we'll work on knowing how to move."

Natasha had never taught someone so young how to fight like a brutal killer, and to be honest, she didn't think she was going to enjoy it. It reminded her too much of the Red Room.

What she didn't realize was how much Holly's past was going to get in the way of teaching her. After Holly stretched, Natasha started teaching her the basic spots to hit in order to incapacitate a human, basic blocks, and basic types of hits. It took about two hours until Holly finally had some muscle memory down, and then Natasha announced that they would spar. She had laughed at the look on Holly's face, promising "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you; I'm only going to block unless you drop your guard, and then I'd only tap you. Also, I'll slow down my own reflexes and as you get better, I'll start going faster."

After only thirty seconds, Holly had dropped her guard, and Natasha landed a blow to her face, pulling to punch to it was no harder then a tap. But Holly froze, completely stopped, cowered and covered her face.

At first, Natasha was worried that she had hit harder than expected, and that she had actually hurt her. But then she realized that this wasn't a physical reaction to the hit; it was a mental one, a trigger.

Natasha peeled my hands away from my face and I panicked, fighting her, before I mentally got a grip. "Sorry," I muttered, wiping sweat off my face.

"What did he do to you?" she asked, gripping my shoulders and looking me in the eye. I looked down. I didn't want her to know the truth.

"I dunno what you're talking about," I started to lie. "I just_" I stopped. "I'm sorry. You guys obviously know my stepfather was a dick. I just… I've never told anyone. I don't think I can," I admitted, trying not to tear up. I didn't want the best spy in the world to see me cry. That was embarrassing.

"I understand."

Anger flared up. She didn't understand. No one did. "You have no idea what it's like to not be able to defend yourself," I said coldly.

An odd expression crossed Natasha's face. I realized I knew nothing about her past. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I don't know that. I shouldn't have said that."

"How about this," Natasha said quietly. "If I tell you something about my past, will you tell me about yours?"

I thought about it.

"I've never told anyone much about my past, either. I know how hard it can be."

"Don't tell anyone," I blurted out. "I don't want to get in trouble. I wasn't a great kid."

Natasha scoffed. "Holly, you've been nothing but an angel the entire time you've been here. I don't think I've met a politer kid."

"Promise. Not even Tony or Pepper."

I could see Natasha thinking. "Okay," she said finally. "You first, or me?"

"This time… you go first. Next time, I will."

She took a deep breath. "I don't know where to start. How about you ask me a question, and then I get to ask you one. Deal?"

"Deal." I knew I'd regret this, but I was really curious. I looked up to Natasha- she'd never allow anyone to hurt her or anyone she loved. Not like me. I wanted to know about her. "Where'd you learn to be an assasin?"

"Russia."

I waited, but she said nothing else. "Is that it?" I asked, disgusted.

"I'm trying to think of how I can tell you in a way that won't give you nightmares."

"I'm tough. I've already dealt with my own nightmares," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Self-consciously, I pushed my hair out of my face. I had it in a ponytail, but between Steve and Natasha's training, it had basically all but come out. I struggled to pull out the elastic so I could redo it.

"Let me take care of that," Natasha murmured, and she took my shoulders and spun me around.

"You know my hair is all gross and sweaty, right?" I said, trying to squirm away.

"You know that if you wanted to, with that brain of yours, you could likely just hack into the computer system and read all about my past, right?" Natasha asked me. This shocked me into staying still.

"That's such an invasion of privacy. I'd never." I stated.

Natasha chuckled. "Okay, then. Well… I was born and trained in Russia. I was… recruited at a young age. I was trained in the Red Room." she was silent for a few moments as she braided my hair. I didn't like the feeling- no one had done that, ever. Not even my mom during the good times. But I had a feeling Natasha needed to do something with her hands to help her talk, so I didn't protest. "The Red Room training was not kind. It taught you to kill. Period. No mercy, ever. And I was the best. I never failed," she laughed darkly. "The program brainwashes you. Later, after working for Russia, I switched to SHIELD. Doesn't make me any less of a monster, but it keeps me from becoming more of one."

"I don't think you're a monster," I stated.

"Done," Natasha said, tying the elastic around the end of the braid.

"Why?" I whined. "I like ponytails better."

"Because if you lose your elastic during a battle, your hair is long enough to be all over your face. If you french braid it, like I just did, even if you lose the elastic, then it's braided tight enough to stay in. I'll teach you. Also, tomorrow, you need to wear tighter clothes. None of this loose t shirt and basketball shorts stuff; it gives your enemies an advantage. Try compression clothing."

"Okay, sounds good. Hey! Look at the time! It's lunch." I wildly gestured to the clock.

"I thought we had a deal," Natasha said, sounding hurt.

"I know," I sighed. Worth a try. "Can I ask you one more question though?"

"Only if I get to ask you two."

"It's not that serious."

"Nope. Two for two."

I huffed and flopped down onto the mat. "Fine. Are you and Clint dating or something?"

Natasha laughed and say down next to me. "No, we're just best friends and long time partners."

"Sure."

"My turn. So…" she thought for a second. I gritted my teeth.

"What's the worst injury you've ever had?" Natasha asked.

 _I'm nine. My stepdad had just thrown me down the stairs because I slammed a door. My arm might be broken. It hurts it hurts and Mom's not home and even if she was she wouldn't care no one would._

 _Mom's drunk. I'm seven, and she's completely wasted. It's ten in the morning and she's curling her hair. I accidentally burnt toast and she hits me across the back of my neck with the hot iron._

 _I'm mowing the lawn and my stepdad locked me outside since I was being too wild. I accidentally ran over a yellow jacket's nest, the type of bees in the ground. They swarm me for ruining their home, and my stepdad laughed as I'm trying to beat my way inside the house as they sting me._

A thousand memories flash through my head. A thousand humiliating moments. "I don't know."

"Holly," Natasha warned.

"You don't understand. I can't pick one. There isn't one that stands out!" I yelp.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. How about this instead. How did you get this scar?" she asked, gently running her finger over the three-inch one from behind my left ear to my jaw.

I looked down. This one was when my stepdad was sober. He didn't even have the excuse of alcohol.

"It was last year. I was being too loud making dinner, my stepdad was trying to sleep before the night shift. I accidentally dropped a dish when I was loading the dishwasher, and he came out… the steak knife was still on the counter. He slashed me."

I said this completely monotone and waited for the pity in her eyes. There was one. "It must have been some deep cut," she said, inspecting it further. "Did you have to get stitches?"

"Sutured it myself with some snitched supplies from the ER. Skipped school one day to do it. It was. necessary… couldn't go to the hospital," I said offhandedly.

"You had to stitch yourself up at twelve?" she asked.

"I think I was eleven."

She nodded. "Okay. Second question. How often would you say you were abused? Every day? A few times a week? Once in awhile?"

I snorted. "Try multiple times every day." Her eyes widened, and I tried to retract my statement. "It didn't get to that point until a year or two ago. And a lot of time, it was me that triggered it- I was around the house a lot, and a troublemaker. Like for example, that scar wouldn't have happened if I wouldn't have been being so loud."

She looked me in the eye. "It is not your fault. Don't say that."

I looked right back at her. "Then don't say you're a monster, cause you're not," I replied stubbornly.

"Guess we both have things we need to work on. Good job this morning, Holly, now go get ready for lunch."

Showering never felt so good. The hot water ran down my muscles, relaxing them from the intensity of the morning and the conversation. I couldn't believe that I told Natasha something honest about what had happened to me. To be honest, I had thought about making up some BS story, but when she told me about the Red Room, I figured that she deserved my honesty. I couldn't wait to try sparring again.

When I got downstairs, the Avengers and Pepper were already waiting for me. Pepper looked sharply at Steve and Natasha. "Is the training too hard for her?" She asked.

Steve shook his head. "She's tough. She can handle it."

Natasha just grinned.

"I'm good."

Pepper wouldn't let me leave the table to shoot arrows with Clint until I'd eaten like three times what Bruce would normally make me. But because Bruce didn't say anything, I figured it was because of the training they were having me do. Hopefully no one checked the floor after I left; I dropped a good amount of what I couldn't eat on the floor. The rest was in my napkin.

Clint's own personal shooting range on his floor was awesome. It had setting where you could hit stationary targets, moving targets, and then holographic targets that actually shot beams of light back at you. Unfortunately, I was downright awful at archery. Clint was trying to be patient with me, I could tell, but I think he was personally affronted at the way I was handling the bow.

Finally, I snapped. "Can't I just watch you for a few shots? Please?"

Clint sighed and notched an arrow. I watched the fluidity of it; Clint had been trying to teach me in sections, but really it was just a smooth, fluid motion, not a bunch of tiny things just thrown together. I watched him for about twenty minutes, analyzing the angles and force, then picked up my bow again.

I shot five arrows. Each one hit the bulls-eye of the target I was aiming for. I turned to Clint and shrugged. "Sorry."

"Sorry? What do you mean, sorry! That was excellent!" he said, clearly now excited. "Maybe tomorrow we can get to moving targets."

"Tomorrow would be good, as it is time for Lady Stark to learn about the realms."

"THOR, IF YOU CALL ME LADY STARK ONE MORE TIME I WILL TRY TO SHOOT YOU," I yelled.

We were at the dining room table, and although I was trying to be respectful- he was a god, after all- I was bored, especially after the high intensity sessions with Steve, Natasha, and Clint. "Thor, can't we take a field trip to Asgard to learn about this instead of talking," I begged.

"Absolutely not," Pepper said, coming out of the elevator.

I tried not to roll my eyes. As much as I liked Pepper, I was getting kind of annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Thor. It just… it sounds a lot like fiction. Like story time. I like facts. Facts are facts and they can't disappoint you. Asgard sounds made up."

Thor laughed. "Mortals. The nine worlds are no story…"

And so I zoned out for the next hour and let Thor's words kind of lull me into a stupor. He wasn't stopping to ask questions, and I got the impression that he was trying to impress me rather than teach me, and that he'd rather be doing something fighting related. I tried to convince him to take me to Asgard again, but to no avail. Finally, Tony walked into the dining room. "Sparky? It's my turn."

I hopped up and practically ran over to him. "Thanks, Thor! That was really, um, informative." I tried smiling at him. Apparently, that was convincing, because Thor smiled broadly back.

"Thank you, Daughter of Iron."

I rolled my eyes. Better than Lady Stark.

Tony's workshop here was just as vast as in Malibu. As soon as we were in the smack middle of it, he turned to me.

"I'm going to show you how guns work. Legolas and Widow is going to show you how to shoot them. It'll take a day for me to show you all of them and you to learn them; you're not stupid. We'll do that after you've mastered archery. That's apparently all I'm allowed to teach you, according to Fury. But I don't care- we're building you a suit. Any objections?"

I shook my head.

Tony grinned. "I'll teach you how to load a pistol, and then we'll start with the Arc Reactor. Music request?".

"AC/DC okay?"

Tony looked at me.

"Um.. if that's not, that's okay."

"JARVIS? You heard the kid."

"Mr. Stark, Holly, Pepper has been trying to get ahold of you for the last half hour. She's getting quite insistent, sir."

"Is it an emergency?"

"Dinner is ready, sir."

"Ugh," Tony and I groaned at the same time.

"Come on, Holls. We'd better go up before Pepper throws a hissy fit."

"I just can't believe been down here for four hours. It feels like we've only been working ten minutes!"

"That's how it goes, kid."

I had never made something as beautifully complicated as the Arc Reactor. Tony was by my side the entire time, but I was making it myself. He quizzed me up the entire time about it, and I impressed him with my answers.

"Hey… Tony? That was really great. Thanks."

He grinned broadly. "Yeah, it was. It was a lot of fun."

We got reamed by Pepper as soon as we sat down. "Seriously? You two were down there for hours. Normally you wouldn't get half that time; Bruce would teach mediation, he just got happened to get called away."

"Code Green?" Tony asked, looking alarmed.

"No," Steve answered. "Fury just needed some help." I saw his eyes flash towards me, and I knew that he was withholding information.

I glanced at Natasha, wondering if she'd tell me later if I asked her. Natasha caught my gaze, and then glanced at Pepper. I rolled my eyes. Natasha nodded. Pepper told them not to tell me. Whatever. I'd ask Natasha tomorrow.

 _Be nice. She just cares about you,_ Natasha mouthed to me. I nodded back at her. I understood; I was just tired and cranky. It had been a long day.

Pepper tried to force me to eat a ton of food again, but I was too tired to keep my eyes open halfway through. Mumbling excuses, I got up and found my way to my room. I fell on my bed fully clothed and I think I passed out before I hit the mattress.


	7. The Truth

"Okay, guys, how'd she do?" Tony asked the group as soon as Holly left the room.

"She's not in very good shape, but she didn't quit. She's pretty tough," Steve said. "Give it a few weeks and she'll be there."

"Okay, so what we expected. Widow?"

"She's got some natural talent, but her past gets in the way. She freezes up in fights. It'll take some time for her to train her brain to attack or defend instead of just freezing. If she got attacked now, she'd be an easy target," Natasha reported. She figured that was safe to tell them without betraying the kid's confidence. "I think she's starting to trust me."

"Awesome," Tony said, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice. "Bird-brain?"

"She's talented, but not in the traditional way. I didn't actually teach her anything; she just watched me and then adapted my technique to her style. With some minor technique adjustments, she'll be fine. She can hit the bulls-eye of a stationary target, although she's not strong enough to work a long-range lethal bow."

Tony nodded, relieved. "Thor, I heard most of your lesson. Maybe you could take her to Asgard sometime."

Thor looked thoughtful. "Man of Iron, I will consider it."

"Okay," Steve said. "Now let's talk what we already know. Bruce is tracing Loki's scepter." He stood up. "There's human experimentation going on right now with the scepter. They can't make successful super hero serum; so they're using the power of the scepter to attempt to mutate the humans. Bruce is trying to find out more, and he should be back…" The elevator dinged. "Now."

Bruce walked in. "How was Holly's training?"

"She did well. What can you tell us?" Steve asked, cutting to the chase.

"Not much. We're still trying to trace the location; it's sketchy, it moves around. I don't know if they've been successful or not on creating super soldiers, either, but my guess is that they haven't or they'd already be wreaking havoc." He hesitated. "Once we can pinpoint the location, Fury wants us to go full force Avengers after it."

"Awesome, I can't wait," Tony said, game.

"Tony," Bruce sighed. "Fury wants to know what you're going to do with Holly when you go on missions. And what your plan for her would be if you didn't come back."

"She'll be safe in the tower. JARVIS will protect her. And Pepper will be here. I have full confidence she'll be safe in the Tower," Tony said in a clipped tone, indicating that the topic was closed. Then he paused. "And… I'll talk to Fury about getting Agent in here for protection," Tony grumbled.

"Okay, Coulson will work," Bruce sighed. "Where is Holly? It's only 7:30; we can get a mini meditation lesson in."

"She already went to bed. She's wiped out," Pepper said. "I'm going to go make some calls for the company." She left the room, and the Avengers went on to do their business.

Hours later, Tony was in his workshop, morally debating. He had avoided, so far, pulling all of the files on his kid. He wanted to respect her privacy; he wanted to believe that Holly would eventually trust him enough to tell him. But the issue was that if he did have JARVIS get him the files, then eventually something would slip out, as it always inevitably did. That would break any trust she had in him. But now that SHIELD was involved… well, it was an intelligence agency for a reason. He wouldn't be surprised if Fury already knew more about Holly than Tony himself knew. That was all the convincing he needed.

It took JARVIS less than fifteen seconds to locate all known knowledge about Holly Maria Stark. He was oddly touched; he hadn't known that Elizabeth had honored his mother in giving Holly his mother's middle name. Other than that little bit of information, the file was pathetically uninformative. Perfect scores in schools, always. She could read almost as soon as she could talk. Born prematurely, and always small for her age; probably why she looked like she was ten even though she had turned twelve on April 12.

It wasn't until he had looked over all of the information in her file multiple times that he realized the information that he didn't have was telling him more. Her medical files stopped at age seven, two months after Elizabeth had married James Hanson, with Holly being seen in the ER after a burn to the back of her neck. The reasoning being from her tripping over the cord, and a curling iron falling on her, which Tony knew was bullshit. Someone as smart as Holly did not just trip over a cord. And the ER report said that the school brought her in; meaning that her mom and stepdad did not take her in. That was the last entry until the paternity test appointment. They weren't giving her proper medical care for the past five fucking years.

Then there was Elizabeth's death certificate- last Christmas. Her cause of death on the official report was natural causes, but Tony did a little more digging and saw that it was alcoholism that killed her. That made it official; he hadn't picked up a bottle around Holly since the night she met the Avengers and he sure as hell wasn't going to do it any time soon.

He groaned and leaned back in his chair. How could he have let this happen?

A blood-curdling scream broke his thoughts.

"Holly," he muttered, and before he could make another legitimate thought, he was running towards her room, his suit already attaching to him. "JARVIS, what's going on!?" he yelled, but he was in Holly's room before Jarvis could answer. Tony looked around for threats, but couldn't find one.

"She's having a nightmare, sir," Jarvis finally responded.

Tony zeroed in on his daughter; she was thrashing, the sheets twisted around her. He heard a disturbance behind him and in his terrified state, he almost immediately blasted them, but he pulled it at the last second. Just the rest of his team. With weapons. No big deal, except Bruce's eyes were turning green. Removing his faceplate, Tony said "Easy, big guy. Easy, guys. Just a nightmare. Bruce, don't break my tower."

Natasha walked over to Holly and shook her. She immediately covered her face and cowered, but woke up.

"Give us some privacy," Tony said, and the rest of the Avengers, still trying to recover from their respective heart attacks, left the Stark floor.

"You too, Natasha," Pepper said quietly. Tony thought that Pepper probably didn't think Holly would want the assassin to see her so weak.

"No, I want her to stay," Holly mumbled, moving into a sitting position with her arms around her knees.

Tony walked over to her. "You about sent me to an early grave, kiddo, screaming down the tower like that. I could hear you from my workshop. Must have been some nightmare."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you," Holly muttered, refusing to look anyone in the eye. She was trembling all over and she was soaked with sweat. "I'm okay."

"Bullshit. Kid, talk to me."

Holly refused to look at anyone.

Tony sighed. He reached up his still armored hand to push some hair out of her eyes, but on contact, she flinched. He did it anyway. "Holly, its okay. I have them too." He'd give anything for Natasha to not be in the room- he was sure that she'd give him crap about it later.

"I'll bet anything that they leave you feeling unsafe and scared, am I right?"

Holly gave a small nod.

"Yeah. I know the feeling, then. Want to know what always helps me? Going down to my workshop and tinkering for a bit until my mind is tired. Want to go with me now? Work on stuff?"

Holly shook her head. "Could I go to the gym and spar?" she asked in a small voice.

"No, sweetie, you shouldn't overexert_"

"I'll take you," Natasha interrupted Pepper. "Change your clothes and then meet me back here, okay?"

Holly nodded. "Okay." she grabbed a compression cut off shirt and some shorts before heading to the bathroom.

"What the hell, Natasha?" Pepper asked.

Tony interrupted before Natasha could answer. "Pep, Holly's scared. And if she's feeling like I do when I wake up, she definitely doesn't feel like she's in control of anything right now. If she wants something, she gets it. Besides, Natasha wont let her go too far," Tony added. "Right?"

"Pepper, don't worry. She's dead on her feet; she'll probably be back in bed in twenty minutes."

"I don't like it. She should talk it out, not just go and suppress it."

Natasha laughed. "She's a Stark."

"I'm going to go talk to Bruce. Let him know what happened. He's no psychiatrist, but I want his opinion," Tony said. "Maybe she can start meditation tonight before she goes back to bed."

"I'll go with you." Pepper and Tony left the room.

A minute later, Holly returned. "I'm really sore," she said. "And my muscles feel really shaky."

"We don't have to spar," Natasha said.

"No. I need to train," Holly said resolutely, her stubborn expression almost exactly like Tony's. "Can you braid my hair back again when we get down there?"

An hour later, Holly and Natasha were still going at it, and although Natasha had to admit that she was going ridiculously easy on her, she was showing leaps of improvement. She could definitely take down anyone her size and about thirty pounds heavier than her, now, if it was not a HYDRA or SHIELD agent..

Finally, Holly got knocked down and didn't immediately jump back up. Instead, she slowly sat up and sighed. "I've never had one that bad."

"Your nightmare?"

Holly nodded, looking ashamed.

"You want to tell me about it?"

Holly shook her head, picking at her cuticles. "You'll think its stupid."

"No, what I think is stupid is that you're a twelve-year-old girl, who's very scared and confused, and you have a team- no, a family- that is more than willing to help you, and you're not letting them. It's a curse all you Starks share, apparently."

"My dad has nightmares too?"

"Yes. Frequently. We all do."

"Why? You guys aren't afraid of anything. I watched the feeds of the Battle of New York," Holly said sullenly.

"Holly, if I tell you something, will you trust me that it is the absolute truth?"

"I guess so."

"When you screamed, I was very afraid that someone was hurting you- all of the Avengers were. Your dad got there first; he was fully suited up, ready to defend you. The rest of us were right behind him. I know you were hurt very badly in your past. We want to keep you from being hurt ever again."

Holly nodded and swallowed. "I dreamed about when my stepdad told me he wasn't signing the papers to let me go to college. I felt so trapped. And then_" Holly broke off, shuddering, and Natasha briefly thought of the forty-seven ways she could that jackass with her middle finger.

Natasha put her arm around the trembling girl. "What happened next?" she asked softly, knowing that wasn't the end of the story.

"Nothing. See? Told you it was stupid. He just told me that I couldn't go to college."

Natasha just waited. She knew that wasn't all.

"He… tried to touch me. That's when I ran away." Holly looked down, shame all over her face, tears in her eyes.

Natasha didn't say anything, just hugged her, and she felt Holly stiffen before breaking down and crying. She was planning on killing him. He was dead. She'd take Tony and they'd torture this asshole.

After a few minutes, Holly got control of herself again. "That's why I need to learn to do this. I wanted to, anyway, even before Nick Fury said so. No one will ever hurt me again." She took a deep breath. "Do you think my dad is still up?"

"Let me ask. Jarvis? Is Tony still awake?"

"Yes, Ms. Romanoff. He's in his workshop."

"I'm going to go talk to him. Natasha? Thank you for being so nice to me."

"Kiddo, you don't have to thank me for that."

Holly looked down. "I lied to you the other day."

"What about?"

"When you asked who hurt me, I said it was my stepdad. It was my mom too. I just don't like admitting it. I'm sorry."

"Holly, I knew you were lying. I'm a spy."

Holly looked indignant, and for a moment, Natasha was worried she shouldn't have called her out. "What? How? I'm a great liar. What gave me away?"

Natasha laughed. "You think I'm gonna tell you, missy? No way. Maybe when you're older. Go to Tony's workshop now."

Unexpectedly, Holly threw her arms around Natasha. Natasha hugged her back. "You're going to be okay, Holly. I promise."

"Did you mean it when you said the Avengers are a family? My family?"

Natasha beamed, thinking that she was finally getting through to the kid. "Yes. Absolutely, 100 percent, yes."

"Does this mean I can call Steve grandpa, since he's like 90?"

After talking to Bruce, who suggested a possible diagnosis of PTSD (but couldn't confirm without more information) Tony watched Natasha and Holly's sparring practice. Holly was clumsy, but Natasha was a great teacher, and every time Natasha knocked her down, she got up and fought again, a little better than the last time. When Natasha and Holly talked, Tony couldn't help but smile. He wanted to tease Natasha for being so emotional- she was a cold-killer, after all- he couldn't help but be grateful that she was getting through to her. When he found out about her dream and about Elizabeth being abusive (although he could have guessed from the alcoholism) he almost went into a fit of rage, ready to fly the Iron Man suit out there and kill him right then and there, but Holly wanted to see him. He threw himself into a random project as Holly was coming down the elevator, and acted like he had been busy the whole time when she walked into the workshop.

"Hey, Holls. How are you doing?" Tony hoped he sounded casual, but concerned. She couldn't know he had just overheard her entire conversation Natasha, who she obviously trusted.

"A lot better. Sparring with Natasha helped."

Tony smiled and sat down at his desk again. "Glad to hear it, although I don't know how. Don't tell Natasha, but she could kick my butt!"

Holly laughed and sat in the chair next to him. "Tony? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, kid, ask away."

"Natasha… she mentioned that we- not we, the Avengers- were a family, and they wanted to help you, but you wouldn't let them. That it was something you and I both did."

"Yes, Holly, _we_ are a family. A weird one, with two master assassins, a Pop-Tart eating God, the world's best-looking grandpa, Uncle Brucie with some anger issues, Pepper momming everyone and keeping us from killing each other, and then your crazy, caffeine addicted old man. But we're a family. And I had a very hard time letting people help me after New York. Holly…" he broke off. He didn't want to tell Holly that when he went into that wormhole with the nuke, he was betting on not coming out alive because he didn't want to _be_ alive anymore. "Before I met them, I didn't trust anyone. I still have a hard time trusting anyone. But I trust the Avengers. I know I could go to any of them if I needed them. And I have. I want you to be able to do the same, but I don't want to force you." He paused. He was terrible at this emotional crap. "Would you consider talking to someone? Like a psychiatrist? Or maybe Bruce? It'll help you feel better. Talking to Bruce and Steve really helped me."

"I've told Natasha some stuff. I don't want to tell anyone I don't know my past."

"Could you maybe keep talking to Natasha about stuff, and give her permission to tell Bruce? He's smart- he'd know how to help you, and maybe keep those nightmares from coming back."

Tony wasn't stupid enough to think that she'd be able to talk to him.

"I guess. But if I tell her stuff, do you promise not to kick me out? I wasn't a good kid growing up."

"Holly, my life changed forever when I became Iron Man. I was given a purpose other than being some party boy bachelor. My life changed when I became an Avenger, because I was accountable to someone other than myself. And my life changed again when I met you, because I realized that I _want_ to be a father. I know that you'll probably hurt me with some of Natasha's moves that she just taught you in a sec here, because I shouldn't expect you to just accept me with open arms. I know that your past is in some aspects entirely my fault. But I want to give you a safe and happy environment for the rest of your childhood- for the rest of your life. Even if you find that in a college dorm somewhere. I just want you to be happy, and that's a new thing for me. You're stuck with me; I'd never kick you out."

"Tony…" Holly was at a loss for words. "I forgive you. I'm mad that you didn't try to find out if a kid resulted from a one night stand. But I forgive you, because I understand that you didn't know about it. And that you're not the same man."

Tony smiled. "Thanks, Holls. Now, do you want to go to bed, or work on that Arc Reactor more?"

"Arc Reactor!"

Another hour later, Holly was sound asleep on the workbench. Tony considered leaving her there, since she was already asleep, but it looked uncomfortable, and he knew that she was likely already sore from the workouts. Hoping she wouldn't wake up and attack him, he gingerly lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her room. Pepper was still up in the living room on the Stark floor answering emails, and smiled broadly at the two as they walked in. Tony grinned back.

As Tony lay Holly down on the bed, and Pepper pulled the blankets up over her, Holly stirred. "Night, Dad. Night, Pepper. Love you guys."

Tony had to look down to see if his Arc Reactor was still functioning, because he thought his heart had stopped. His daughter had just called him Dad.

Grinning like an idiot, he stepped back out into the living room, but Natasha was there. He immediately knew what about.

"We need to talk," Tony and Natasha said at the same time.

"You first," Natasha said.

"I heard everything that Holly told you tonight- well, early this morning. I was watching on the gym cam. Sorry- I just wanted to make sure she was okay_"

Natasha held up her hand. "Tony, that's fine. It's completely understandable."

"What'd Holly tell you?" Pepper asked, who was completely out of the loop.

"Holly was sexually assaulted; well, potentially- or maybe raped- who knows if this is the first time, or if he just tried and then she ran- we need to kill her stepdad," Tony said wildly.

"First things first; let's take care of Holly," Pepper said, trying to calm the assassin and the weapons genius down before they got arrested- or at least reprimanded- and making a mental list of the best doctors in New York. "We need to get her checked out. First thing tomorrow morning. That'll tell us more. I'll get her a female doctor. Hopefully, that'll be okay."

"I want a full physical done," Tony said bluntly. "Her medical records stopped at seven."

I was up just a few hours later. It was time to train again. I was embarrassed at the events that had happened last night, but I trusted Natasha completely. I trusted her less when I walked out into the living room/kitchen area on our floor and Natasha, Pepper, and Tony were talking to a woman in a lab coat in low voices. I knew, without a doubt, that she told them, and now they wanted me checked out.

"Holly," Natasha said as I was trying to duck back into my room. I shouldn't have tried to hide from the spy, after all.

Tony looked over. "Before you start training today, we want to introduce you to someone. This is Dr. Jane Foster, one of the medical personnel for SHIELD. Also an expert in astrophysics. Also Sparky's girlfriend."

I briefly wondered if I was still dreaming. "Thor has a girlfriend? A human girlfriend?"

I cracked a smile as the four of them laughed at the confusion on my face.

After the physical, Holly went down to the gym, and Pepper and Tony met with Jane. "Well?" Tony pressed.

"No sign of rape or sexual abuse at all. Down there, it looks completely normal looking for a twelve year old. You could probably convict him on child abuse and neglect, though- there's so many signs… she's four and a half feet tall and only sixty-three pounds. Tony, you need to make her legally your responsibility. Shouldn't be difficult- I doubt he wants her, but you'd easily win the court case."

"Thanks, Jane," Tony said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's not one more thing she was put through."

Weeks passed in an alarmingly similar fashion, although I was learning so much that I was sure if I wasn't a genius, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with the Avengers. Still, I had a tough time believing that this was my life now. Every morning, I woke up at 4:30, bolted breakfast, and worked out with Steve. I had muscles on my thin frame and no longer looked sickly thin. Natasha taught me multiply styles of fighting, but it wasn't just fighting; it was how to think under pressure, when you're scared and being attacked. Lately, Natasha had been teaching me gymnastics, and we had been working on incorporating them into my fighting style. I was probably going to die when we sparred on the balance beam. I'd eat lunch, and everyone would joke and laugh and I was trying to join in on the banter more. I could tell it made everyone happy when I cracked a joke. After lunch, I'd go to shoot arrows and guns with Clint while incorporating Natasha's training into it. I was getting better, but I didn't like the feel of guns in my hands. It felt wrong, somehow. After a few days, I had learned pretty much all Thor knew about Asgard, and he was bored of teaching me theory, so instead, he and I used this time to work on college stuff for me. Thor was great at giving philosophical advice that I wouldn't listen to. When that was finally over, I got to go to my favorite part of the day- working on my suit with my dad. The Arc Reactor was done, and now Tony and I were almost done with the lower half of the suit. He was letting me design everything, with just giving his input if I was going to screw it up or he thought it was unsafe. After that came my least favorite part of the day- having my mind examined by Bruce. I liked the man, I did, but it was awkward playing chess with him or whatever game he brought while I was supposed to be spilling my guts to him. He'd been unsuccessful so far; I just couldn't talk to him the way I could talk to Natasha. But I had given Natasha permission to tell Bruce everything, although she was great at making me forget that when we had our talks while sparring. Somehow, she made it so it seemed like it was just me and her. After Bruce was unsuccessful at getting me to talk, he'd teach me to redirect my thoughts, close my mind, and gave me strategies to help with the nightmares. Then there'd be dinner and afterwards Dr. Foster would take me to the medical floor for an ice bath, stim pain management, and whatever else I needed. They were still keeping me on a strict diet and weighing me daily. I had put on weight and grown an inch, but I was impatient; I knew I still looked like a ten year old. After was another great part of the day- a movie or a game night if all the Avengers were still there (they still went on missions regularly, with the exception of Tony), and I would fight to stay awake as long as I could. The nightmares came every night, no matter what I did. I personally thought the sparring, as much as it helped me, also hurt me; it was bringing back so many memories of being hurt and helpless. I got less than five hours a sleep on average. The other inhabitants of the Tower knew what was going on, but they let me beat the crap out of a punching bag or read engineering books until I calmed down enough to go back to sleep. They'd only interfere if it took me longer than an hour to calm down; that was the agreed upon length after I snapped that I wasn't a kid and didn't want their coddling. I almost broke my hand punching Steve that night.

Besides, the nightmares, the only other stress in my life was where I was going to school in the fall, only a month away. For the first time in a long, long time, I was almost happy.

I had already applied and been accepted into the University of Michigan, Stanford, Cal, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, and Yale before coming to Stark Tower, but with Tony's influence I knew that I could be accepted late into whatever program I chose. I was leaning towards biomedical engineering, but the University of Michigan had the highest ranked program out of the schools I had been accepted into already, and I didn't want to leave New York. Scratch that- I didn't want to leave the Avengers- my family- and especially my dad.

After slamming my laptop lid in fury after a session with Thor, I knew what I wanted to do.

Heading down to the workshop for our mechanics session, I looked around for him. "Dad?" I asked tentatively, not sure how he'd react. I'd call him Dad every once in awhile, mostly when he was being parent-y, but not seriously since the night of my first nightmare here.

"Holls?" He called back, his head popping up from behind a heap of scrap metal. I liked his nickname for me; he was the only one that used it. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, hesitating. I didn't know how to say this.

"You don't look fine. Talk to me, kiddo," Tony requested.

"I think I want to stay here a little while longer," I muttered, looking at my feet. What if he didn't want me to? What if he was upset I wasn't continuing my education right away?

"What do you mean? You're always welcome here," Tony said, looking confused.

"I mean I don't want to go away to college this fall. I want to either stay around here and commute, or I want to take online classes- or I don't want to go at all. I don't want to leave."

Tony walked up to me. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice level. "This isn't coming from nerves or anything?" I froze. Was he going to hit me? What if he hurt me?

I swallowed and cowered. "No. I'm positive. I can't leave you guys yet- you're my family."

Tony suddenly pulled me into a hug. Relieved, I hugged him back. "You're not mad?" I mumbled.

"Kiddo, no I'm not mad! You've got your whole life ahead of you. I'm thrilled- the rest of the fam will be too, let's go tell them!" Tony ran to the elevator, bouncing up and down like a kid in a candy shop. His grin was infectious- my smile felt bigger than my face. "JARVIS, can you please assemble the Avengers in the living room? And Pepper? Oh, damn, that's right- she's in D.C. right now. Well, the Avengers, then."

"AVENGERS: ASSEMBLE," Came Jarvis's voice.

The Avengers were all in the living room when Tony and I stepped out of the elevator. "Guys, guess what!"

"Tony, what's going on, what happened; where's the threat?" Steve asked. I noticed that all of the team was in their fancy costumes that they wore in the Battle of New York.

"Oh; nothing. I assembled you guys because Holly's staying here this fall; she's not going away to school, she's taking online classes or commuting," Tony said happily.

"Holly? That's awesome, I'm so glad that you're still going to be around. Tony? You're an idiot, I thought that there was a problem!"

"Well, look at this, you all have your gear and your asses are ready to go."

I spun around, shocked, and saw that Fury was in the room with a SHIELD agent.

"What the hell? Who let Jack Sparrow and Agent in here?"

"Sorry, sir. My servers were overridden."

Tony groaned at Jarvis's admission.

"What's the deal? We're celebrating here."

"Tony, cut it out. Sir, what's the problem?" Steve asked, all business.

"The scepter has been located," Fury announced. "It's in Sokovia. You guys need to go- five minutes and your ride is leaving. Stark? Would you rather we take her to SHIELD or Coulson stays here with her? Your call. Your kid."

"She stays in the tower. I need to go grab some things," Tony said, disappearing to his workshop.

"Wait, what?" I grabbed Natasha's sleeve as everyone ran off to their rooms- presumably, to pack more things since they had five minutes instead of ten seconds. "Natasha, no, you know how good I am at fighting, I want to come!"

Natasha froze and looked into the kid's deep sea-green eyes. "Sweetheart," she began.

"Don't sweetheart me," Holly snapped. "What have you guys been training me for, if not to go on missions?"

"To protect yourself in case if we aren't here to do it for you. You're twelve. You're a child," Natasha knew it sounded harsh, and she bent down to Holly's eye level. "Holly. One day, you'll likely join us, if that's what you want. But right now, you coming with us would get in the way of the mission. We wouldn't be able to do our jobs because we'd be worried about you getting hurt. Do you understand?"

Holly bit her lip. "But what if you guys don't come back? What if the tower gets attacked?"

Natasha sighed, glad that Holly had spit out what was really bothering her. She spun Holly around and braided her hair back, saying "We will. I promise. And if the tower does get attacked, Phil will help you." Natasha hugged her, and then Stark came up the elevator, clad in his Iron Man suit. He turned to his daughter.

"Holly, Jarvis has it set so you can't access the armory unless the tower has been breached. You have full access to the workshop- if necessary, use what we've been working on down there to help you- its set up. We haven't practiced yet, but I loaded an AI into it that can autopilot your suit, with you in it, to a safe house. Be safe. Do NOT leave the tower unless you have to." He looked at his daughter. "I love you, Holls."

"Love you too, Dad," she choked out.

 **Finally up to Age of Ultron!**

 **(I don't own anything but the OC character).**


	8. Captured

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the original character.**

As soon as they were gone, I sprinted down to the workshop. I HAD to finish my suit. I HAD to follow them. I didn't care what they said- six Avengers and one sort of trained kid were better than just six Avengers.

Thinking logically, I knew that I couldn't finish my suit in time. There was no way. But within fifteen seconds, thanks to Tony setting it up for me, I had on the completed bottom half of my Iron Man suit on and the skeleton of my chest plate and hand thrusters with the Arc Reactor powering the entire thing.

"Holly, my name is Phil. I know this is scary."

I looked up. The guy who my dad always called Agent was standing in the workshop. "Don't care."

"They're going to come back. They're the best team that the world has ever seen. And to be honest, this mission really isn't going to be that difficult for them."

"None of them is invincible," I said tonelessly, putting the finishing touches on my helmet. It glowed to life and I put it on.

"Hello, Holly," a pleasant voice greeted me as the HUD screen lit up.

"Um… hi," I said. "Listen, I need to get to Sokovia, now. Can you fly me there?"

"My name is NOVA. I'm an AI created exclusively to help you work the suit. Right now, JARVIS is showing that the Tower is not under any sort of distress. My apologies, but I cannot justify using the thrusters right now."

I let out a sigh and held out my hand to Agent. "Nice to meet you."

Agent watched me for the next few hours as I worked on my chest plate. I talked while I did it, just kind of babbling. One of the questions he asked me was how I liked living with the Avengers.

"Well, there's Dad. He doesn't sleep, is dysfunctional, and likes robots. Steve's basically a cinnamon roll, calls people son, and only talks about morals- it's gross. Bruce is the nicest, but a huge nerd, like he probs got beat up every day in middle school. Thor eats Pop-Tarts and talks weird. Clint just sleeps and drinks coffee and then gets mad when you try to summon him with bird calls. And then I'm pretty sure Natasha just wants to kill everyone. So, yeah, it's going great." I knew I wasn't making sense, but NOVA was talking to me through my helmet, helping me finish my suit.

Meanwhile, in the snow covered landscape of Sokovia, the Avengers were doing what they did best- kicking ass.

As far as missions went, this one was going smoothly. The offensive, although better than normal Hydra bases thanks to the scepter's influence, was still no match for their power. Looking at the way they fought seamlessly as a team, Steve couldn't help but feel proud about what they were accomplishing as they fought their way through to the building where the scepter was located. They were better than New York- and not just in skills. They trusted each other, they knew that they had each other's backs.

But then it all went to shit, like most Avengers missions usually did.

"Argh!" Came Clint's grunt of pain, and it was obvious that he was down. Two seconds later, so was Cap; he didn't even see what hit him, but he managed to turn the fall into a flip and landed on his feet. "I have confirmed an enhanced human!" Steve barked into the earpiece. So they had succeeded in using the scepters power to give people abilities. This was bad.

"Can someone deal with that bunker!?" Natasha snapped as she tended to Clint, the bunker firing wildly all around them.

Bruce had already Hulked out, and the Hulk went in and ran right through it, easily decimating it.

"Thanks, big guy," muttered Natasha.

"Stark, we need to get inside!" Steve ordered, grunting as he took down multiple enemies at once, praying that Clint was okay.

"Closing in," came Stark's report.

Steve heard a single explosion, and then the force field around the building came down.

"Drawbridge is down, people!" Tony barked.

"Clint's hurt pretty bad, guys," Natasha's voice came over the earpiece. "We're gonna need evac."

"I can get the jet and evac," Thor suggested. "You and Stark, secure the scepter."

"Copy that," Steve agreed.

There was a line of enemies and a tank in front of them; like they practiced, Thor hit Cap's shield with the hammer, creating a sound wave that took the opponents out.

"Find the scepter," Thor said, before winding up his hammer and flying off to start the evac.

Tony was now in the building. He easily took down a dozen soldiers that were trying to shoot at him, then moved on to the next room, where some moron- wait, that was Strucker, the leader of this place- was typing hurriedly at a computer. One shot from Tony's repulsor took him down.

He casually stepped out of his suit. "Sentry mode," he told it before moving over to the computer to copy the software. The suit immediately went autopilot, guarding his back.

"There's got to be more files in here," he murmured after a few minutes. "Hey, J? Give me a scan of the room."

"The wall to your left," Jarvis told him. "I'm reading steel reinforcements."

"Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door." He pushed on the wall. "Yay!"

The wall opened, leading into a dark and musty corridor, and Stark followed it.

"We have a second enhanced human. Female. Do not engage!" Came Steve's voice over the earpiece.

Tony ignored the words and kept walking. "Guys, I've got Strucker," Steve's voice said a minute later.

"Yeah, I've got something bigger," Tony muttered. The corridor had ended in a vast room with a creature straight out of his worst nightmares in it. A Chitauri whale was handing from the ceiling. Though obviously not living, it still sent shivers down his spine. "Holly," he muttered, trying not to freak out or have a flashback. The sooner he was done with this, the sooner he could get back to Holly. Forcing himself to focus on what was around him, he then saw the scepter. "Thor," he said. "I've got eyes on the prize."

He wasn't aware of anyone sneaking up behind him.

Suddenly, Stark wasn't seeing the scepter, or the room. Just the Chitauri whale, and now, it was alive. When Stark looked around again, he yelped.

His friends… the Avengers. All dead or dying before him. Captain America's vibranium shield was cracked in half, next to a seemingly dead Steve Rogers.

Tony sank to his knees next to Steve and felt for a pulse. Steve's hand came to life, snagging Tony's.

With hate in his eyes, Steve gasped out, "You… could've… saved… us. Why didn't you do more?" before Tony saw the life leave his eyes.

Looking up again, Tony saw a wormhole, infinitely larger than the one in New York. And directly underneath it was…

"HOLLY!" Tony screamed, his voice breaking through several octaves as he ran to his daughter.

The vision broke. Suddenly, Tony was back to staring at the scepter. He looked around at the Chitauri whale- it was not alive. He leaned over and puked. Seeing his daughter, his family like that… it was his worst nightmare. What the hell happened?

Shaking, he stood up. It wasn't real. Holly was safe at the tower. His teammates were waiting outside for him. He just had to grab the scepter and go. He wasn't aware of the two teenagers watching him.

Tony was silent on the Quinjet ride home, disturbed at what he had seen. Clint was injured. Bruce was wiped out from Hulking out. But they had the scepter.

Tony was contacting Jane Foster, so she could set up in the Tower's infirmary. He knew that he had to take care of the team first. But as soon as that was done, he video called Coulson. He wanted Holly to know as soon as possible that he and the rest of her family was coming home. "Jarvis? Dial Coulson."

He waited impatiently. "Agent Coulson did not answer, sir. In fact…" Jarvis sounded disturbed. "I cannot seem to reach any of the servers in the Tower at all."

"What the_" Tony broke off, swearing. He knew that SHIELD was able to get into the tower- he left that loophole purposely, just in case something happened to them. But SHIELD wouldn't be able to disable all of the servers. It would take someone as intelligent as him… "Did Holly disable them again? Did she try to follow us?" Tony asked.

Suddenly, despite their fatigue, the Avengers were once again on high alert.

"If she did, then she is on foot, sir. Nova is still in the tower, so her suit is as well. None of the security of the Tower has been breached, so the most likely case scenario is that Holly disabled the servers and walked out."

"I can't believe I forgot that Holly could disable Jarvis. She probably knocked Coulson out and then tried to hijack a QuinJet. Jarvis, please try to hack into any security footage of buildings around the tower- find her, or whoever left the tower, and find where they went. Cap- let Fury know. Someone needs to go check out my tower right now before Foster goes in, just in case someone else got in when the security was down. And we need to find Coulson. That kid is so grounded when we find her."

Steve looked at his team. Tony was now a wreck, nervous about his daughter, and working desperately from the QuinJet's computer to get Stark Tower's system back up. It took him about ten minutes, but his hands were shaking.

Hell, they all were worried about Holly; New York City was no place for a twelve-year-old girl to go unattended on foot, but if she did in fact hijack a QuinJet- and Steve had no doubt, with a mind like her father's that doing something like that would be no more than child's play to her- she could be anywhere. She could get shot down if the military thought she was flying an enemy bird. Or, if she did go on foot, she could have been kidnapped by someone not even related to Hydra, just a psychopath off the streets. Anything could have happened. Steve felt sick to his stomach as his brain flipped through the worst possible scenarios.

Everyone was silent after Steve contacted Fury. They were all waiting for Jarvis's report back, to see if he had anymore information from him. But Fury called the Avengers back first. In the background was the living room of the tower. Coulson was not with him.

"Avengers, your mission isn't over yet," Fury said gravely. "Stark, your daughter appears to have been kidnapped by an unknown individual. They slipped in, knocked Coulson out from behind, damn near killed him. He's still out. Your kid is not here. I saw that you were building her a suit." He glared at Stark disapprovingly. Like Tony cared right now. "Your workshop is trashed. Her suit is in pieces. I grabbed the software card off the helmet and uploaded it to the server, you need to enter the passcode- it's encoded. Maybe the AI that was in her suit can enlighten us what happened. Stark… it looks like a kidnapping. There's a bunch of blood. Some of the blood is hers; the rest, we're still waiting for a match, but it only looks like one other person. Get back here, get some rest, and while you're doing that, we'll be gathering intel. We're going to find her."

The video screen flashed off. Tony passed out.

The pounding in my head woke me up. I realized I was lying on a cement floor in a room that wasn't very big- 6x6 feet at the most. There was a singular bulb lighting up my surroundings. I turned my head to the right and retched until there wasn't anything left in my stomach. After a few minutes of lying there and trying to keep the world from spinning, I tried to remember what had happened to me.

I couldn't remember exactly what had happened in the workshop of Stark Tower. I think I saw someone in my peripheral vision- the details were too blurry, but I think it was a woman- take Coulson and throw him across the workshop. I had reacted in complete panic- fired my thrusters, tried to activate Nova to take me away from there, and then-

An explosion. My chest burning. I think my Arc Reactor blew up. I must have done the chest plate wrong. My suit shut down. The legs were too heavy to move, and I was stunned, anyway, too out of it to move even if the suit hadn't trapped me. And then I got stabbed with a needle and the world went black. The tranquilizer must be why I felt so horrible, why my head was so foggy. .

I had no idea how long I had been out for, and that worried me. I could be anywhere in the world right now. Well, I couldn't do anything now. Had to think, use the information that I had and the little training I had done in Stark Tower to escape this prison. What would the Avengers do? How would they deal with this situation? I tried to think of it, tried to think how they would escape so- I dunno, I would have some sort of epiphany or something. Steve and my dad would fight their way out. Natasha and Clint would sneak out, Bruce would Hulk out and smash everything. Thor was a god, for shit's sake. He's zap himself out. I closed my eyes. It hurt thinking about them, my dysfunctional, but loving family. Were they okay? Were they back from Sokovia? Were they worried about me, or did they not care?

I brushed off my last thought. Of course they cared. And I knew that they'd be doing their best to find me.

I don't know how much longer I was laying on the floor, my thoughts racing and my head pounding. I couldn't seem to focus on only one thing.

The door opened, and the harsh light felt like it was an ice pick stabbing through my forehead straight to my brain. I was dragged roughly to my feet (the motion made me start gagging again) and handcuffs were snapped on my wrists. I felt too out of it to resist. Someone- no, two someones- were half-dragging, half carrying me through a dimly lit, dingy corridor.

When my eyes adjusted, I had to laugh. I was twelve, grossly undersized, and there were two musclemen escorting me. They didn't look American; they looked sort of Egyptian. I couldn't be sure, since the whole mixing pot thing, but it could be a safe guess to assume that I was not on U.S. soil anymore.

"What? You guys are afraid of a little girl?" I jested, trying to get them to talk, trying not to give in to the pounding in my head or the fear coursing through my veins. As far as migraines went, this one took the cake. But I had to figure out more about where I was- I needed to find some way to get a message to the Avengers.

The man muttered something in a different language and thumped me across the back. I fell flat on my face and felt my nose break. I tried to think through the pain and blood. Obviously, these thugs weren't able to tell me anything. I wasn't sure what language he was speaking; it sounded coarse, though. Maybe German? Russian? I had no clue. I swore internally at myself for not studying different languages. I had thought knowing binary code was cooler.

It was hard now not to panic. Where the hell was I? In the back of my brain, I heard Tony telling me to take in my mechanical surroundings, Steve telling me to be brave, and Natasha telling me to think through the fear. I started using some of the breathing techniques from Bruce. Whatever these guys were taking me too, I could handle it.

After what felt like a mile, they finally stopped in front of another prison cell like door and dragged me into the room. Easily defending themselves against my weak kicks (any sudden movement caused white lights to flash across my vision), they strapped me down to a table and then removed my cuffs. I now had restraints over my ankles, wrists, hips, chest, and neck. The blood from my broken nose was trickling down the back of my throat, thanks to the fact that I was flat on my back, and I tried not to choke. For the first time, I was terrified and couldn't think at all. What were they going to do to me that required being strapped down like this? Where was my dad?

A bald man walked in wearing a lab coat. My heart rate, if possible, kicked up another notch.

"Holly Stark, my name's Ajax. I manage this facility. This is a HYDRA-led program that turns extraordinarily gifted people like yourself into people of extraordinary abilities. But if you think super human powers are acquired painlessly, well..." he smirked. I scowled back. "I'm injecting you with a serum that activates any mutant genes lurking in your DNA. For it to work we need to subject you to extreme stress." The man had a British accent and an ego that could probably rival my father's.

"Extreme stress is what you're gonna be feeling when my family comes and kicks your ass," I said, trying to sound confident and cheerful. "Don't you know? My dad's Iron Man.

"They're not coming, Holly. They're dead." He smiled creepily. "See, we fed them the information about the scepter being there- they fell for it, right into the trap. They're dead because of you. So I suppose you had better think about what you're going to say at your father's funeral- oh wait. You won't be there."

This was by far the worse I've felt since I've woken up in this hell hole. "Yeah, I won't be there- because it's not happening. My father isn't dead," I said, my voice cracking, all traces of confidence gone.

"Whatever you say. Maybe you'll believe it when he and the rest of your pathetic 'family' never come to save you. Hard to mount a rescue mission when you're six feet under." Ajax shoved a needle into a vein in my forearm.

I refused to scream. I refused to beg. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction, and I still didn't believe that my father was dead. He was Tony Stark. He laughed at death. "Why me?" I gasped out as he hooked up the IV line.

"Ms. Stark, with who your father was? You are already extraordinary. With this… who knows what you'll become. But we'll find out, now wont we? This is how it's going to work. Adrenaline acts as a catalyst for the serum, so we're going to have to make you suffer. If you're lucky, your mutant genes will activate and manifest in spectacular fashion. If not, well, we'll have to keep hurting you. In new and more painful ways, each more different than the last. Until you finally mutate. Or die."

"I don't need my father. I'll kill you myself, you son of a bitch."

"Foul language isn't very becoming in a young lady." He flipped the switch and the blue liquid started to seep through the IV lines. "Hail HYDRA," He whispered before exiting the room.

The blue liquid reached my veins and I started screaming. I don't think I stopped until the pain finally caused me to pass out. And maybe not even then.


	9. Ultron

As soon as they got back to Stark Tower, the Avengers went off to clean up, or in Clint's case, went to Dr. Foster to get treated. The hole in Clint's side was being repaired with some synthetic tissue machine that normally Tony would think was awesome, but he didn't give a shit about it right now.

Still in his armor, which was now scratched, scuffed, and dented, Tony confronted Fury, who had nothing for him.

"What do you mean, you don't know where she is?" Tony yelled.

"What it sounds like, Stark," Fury retorted. "We're doing everything in our power to find clues. She could be anywhere in the world. It's not the Avengers- or you in particular- don't have enemies."

"You think they took her for ransom? Because they can have everything. Really, I don't care, they can have the company, the suits, I'll make weapons for them_"

"Stark, calm down. It's not likely that they took her for ransom."

"I don't even know how they knew I had a daughter. I was never out in public with her, she stayed in the mansion or in the Tower_"

"Which makes me think that this is something entirely new, and they knew about her before you even did."

Fury left and Tony sank into a chair in the living room, burying his face in his hands. He screwed up. He made the wrong call. His daughter could be dead, for all he knew, and he wasn't able to do anything about it.

He looked up as someone came out of the elevator. Pepper. She looked horrible. Probably, he realized, the same way he felt.

"You're going to find her, Tony," Pepper whispered to him as he held her. "And you're going to bring her home."

"SHIELD has no idea where she is," Tony said back tonelessly. "And we can't act until then." He sighed in frustration. "I'm going to my workshop."

"Tony, wait_"

Ignoring Pepper, he set it up so no one besides Bruce could disturb him, and then called Bruce down.

"Tony, what's up?"

"We need Ultron."

"What?"

"You heard me. We need Ultron. The scepter? That has what we need to make it."

"Tony, I know you're upset about Holly, we all are, but_"

"Damn it, Bruce! I'm envisioning a suit of armor around the world. The next alien invasion wouldn't be able to happen."

"Then only people would be able to hurt people, right?"

"I wouldn't have to go on fucking missions that put my daughter at risk!" Tony shouted. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head. "I just… need to do something. Thor's leaving for Asgard soon, and until we find Holly to go and save her, he wont be back. The scepter sure as hell wont be back. We have just a few days with this thing."

"You're saying that we create Artificial Intelligence without consulting the team?"

"I don't have time for a city council meeting, Bruce. One week. This could be the key to world peace. The Avengers could retire."

"We'd better get to work, then."

The next morning, waking up felt like climbing out of a pool of molasses. I remembered Ajax and being injected. I remembered that my father and the Avengers were supposedly dead. So, I guess they haven't brainwashed me. I knew that when I woke up, I would be in a dangerous situation. But still, part of my hoped that this was just dream, the whole thing, and I would wake up safe in my bed in Stark Tower. I would get hounded by Steve in morning workout, spar against Natasha and hopefully last more than five seconds, work on my suit… I tried not to let a sob out. Thinking about them wouldn't help me now.

I was more awake now, and I realized that my shoulders and wrists were extraordinarily sore. I wondered why, tried to flex them, and then when I realized I was handcuffed to the bed, I started panicking. Opening my eyes, I tried to sit up, but the handcuffs held me back. There were nineteen other girls, most older looking, all bigger looking, then me. All were also handcuffed to their own beds. At least I wasn't the only one.

"Good morning, Holly," A woman said pleasantly. I looked up. She looked slightly like Natasha in the basic features. Not enough to be related. I was definitely in Russia.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, trying not to seem vulnerable as I strained against the cuffs.

"All of the children of the Red Room call me Madame B," she said. "Sleep well?"

I tried to think clearly. The Red Room… this was where Natasha was raised, or at least it was an imitation of it. So yes, Russia. My mind was racing. After a few seconds, I remembered that I had been asked a question. Should I be polite? Rude? Threatening? Scared? I settled for myself.

"Um, well, considering I passed out because someone injected me with some blue shit that made my veins feel like they were on fire, no, not really."

I saw the other girls looking at me, sneering at me. I deduced that these girls had actually been together for a long time. I was the outsider now. Like when I had gone to middle school as an eight year old- they hated me for being different, for being brilliant. Thank God I was only in middle school a year, and most of the other kids were stupid, so I easily dealt with them.

Of course, if these girls had been raised in the Red Room like Natasha was, then they could probably kill me six different ways before I could blink an eye.

Madame B smirked. "Good. You have a special instructor today."

She pointed to a man with chin length brown hair, unkind eyes, and a metal arm. I felt a weird jolt in the back of my mind. Like I recognized him from a photograph, or a memory, or… something. I tried to remember, but it hurt to trace the memory, so I stopped.

"Whatever."

The man unlocked my handcuffs from the bed, but then slapped them on the opposite wrist so I was now double-cuffed. He took me out of our sleeping room and blindfolded me before leading me down a series of corridors and into a room. I didn't bother telling him that blindfolding me had been useless. I could have found my way back to the sleeping room even with the blindfold on. How stupid did he think I was?

"Stark, what we are doing to you will make you stronger."

He took off the blindfold. I was in a torture room. I prayed that my mutation would come quickly- maybe it would be something I would use to escape. But with my luck, I probably didn't have a mutation, and then I would just be tortured until I died.

First, I was injected with something. Immediately after, my heart rate was through the roof, I was shaking uncontrollably, and I felt hyper alert. My mind just raced. I couldn't hold on to a solid thought.

Then, I was whipped. My hands were tied to a post, and he repeatedly lashed me. I think the whip had metal embedded into it. I refused to make a sound. It was just like the 'game' my stepfather had played so many times; if I begged, if I made a sound, then I lost. I wasn't sure how many times I fell unconscious and woke up. I think the thing I got injected with was something that kept me awake so it was harder to pass out- it felt like adrenaline, I supposed afterwards.

 _I've been through worse and survived_ , I reminded myself.

After what felt like hours, the man threw down the whip. "Get up," he said gruffly, and I forced my bloodied and bruised body into a standing position. Once I was on my feet, he punched me in the face, sending me flying. "Get up!" He spat.

I staggered to my feet. "You can't break me," I snarled. This jerk had no idea who he was dealing with. I had already been through the worst; the day I realized and accepted my mom was not going to protect me from my stepfather. I could handle physical pain.

The man smiled. "Well, let's find out how true that is."

I wasn't sure how many days had passed since I woke up this morning. It felt like years.

I was already handcuffed to my bed (laying on my stomach this time- my back was too sore to lay on), even though the other girls weren't in here yet. They had followed the normal day; ballet routines, sparring, weapons training. I'd give anything to be with them. But at least I hadn't uttered a sound during the torture session with the metal armed man.

After he hit me, he forced me into a tub of ice water for what felt like hours. I wasn't sure if it was hours or not- I didn't think that someone could survive being in freezing temperatures for a long time. It numbed the pain for awhile, but I still couldn't stop shivering.

"Stark. It's dinner time. Get up." Madame B unlocked my cuffs. Refusing to show weakness, I immediately sat up, rubbed my wrist, and stood. She took me to a vast room with scrubbed wooden tables and benches. I wasn't hungry, not even a little bit, but I could almost hear Pepper's nagging voice telling me to eat, that I needed my strength, and that made me move forward and sit down.

I had to admit that even though the Red Room was no vacation, the food was decent. It wasn't anything I'd had before- curry of some sort, maybe? But it was good, and there was a lot of it. Man, if they were really trying to torture me, they had to try harder. Tempe was shittier than this- being neglected, starved, and beaten by people who were supposed to take care you of and love you was a million times worse. This was something I could handle.

I was halfway through my portion when the other girls started coming in. My shoulders tensed. Oh, boy, I told myself. Here we go.

It was dead silent in the room as they sat down and started to eat. No one was talking, but everyone was shooting filthy looks at me. I sighed, crossed my arms. "My name is Holly Stark. I'm from Tempe, Arizona. How's it going?"

They looked at me like I was crazy. I probably am. These kids are trained assassins. Whatever little tricks Natasha taught me were nothing compared to what they knew. But I also knew the hierarchy- they felt threatened by the new presence. If I lost a few tussles, then they'd just laugh me off as useless and for the most part leave me alone. Of course, they'd pick on me. But my smart mouth could get me out of pretty much anything; or dig me into a deeper hole. At least I'd learn from the tussles. Natasha had told me once that only the enemy could show you where you were weak.

"So, who wants to spar?" I managed to get out. This was going to hurt.

A few days later, nothing had changed. Tony, the rest of the Avengers, and Jane were sitting around the living room, the same thing they had all been doing for the past four days. Pepper had gone back to work, finally. Tony and Pepper had been arguing most of the time she was there about expressing his feelings, and he just brushed her off. Fury had instructed them to get some rest, giving them a few days off, but Tony couldn't even consider it. He worked on Ultron or worked on a new suit for Holly. Currently, he was holding a glass of scotch, but hadn't had a sip yet. He hadn't drank since Holly's first panic attack, and he couldn't bring himself to now. The Avengers, agreeing that Tony shouldn't be alone, were trying their best to distract him, but he just sat there, clenching his fists, and giving short, one-word answers. All of the team was a mess. They would be okay if there were something to distract them, but right now, they were just waiting for word on Holly's whereabouts.

It was well past two A.M, and Steve was about to just get the team to try to go to bed (though he knew he would be unsuccessful, just like the last few nights) when they heard an ungodly screech. Something that looked like it was a mangled, B-list version of Tony's suits staggered out of the elevator… but there wasn't a human in it.

"Stark, what is that?"

"Uh…"

The Thing was babbling to itself, not really making sense, talking about strings. Then, clear as day, he said casually, "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?"

"I had to… for peace." A recording of Tony's voice suddenly sounded. _I'm envisioning a suit of armor around the world."_

"It's Ultron," Bruce realized.

"In the flesh. Well, not yet… But I'm ready. For the mission."

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time," Ultron said, and then the Iron Legion flew through the walls and attacked.

The battle that ensued was short lived, despite that it was sudden and no one was prepared. Luckily, Cap's shield and Thor's hammer were nearby. However… one of the Iron Legion had gotten away. With the scepter.

"That was dramatic," sneered Ultron when all of the other Iron Legion suits were destroyed. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well, but you didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want to change. There's only one path to peace… the Avengers' extinction."

Thor chucked his hammer at the suit and it exploded. Then he flew off to chase the suit with the scepter.

"All our work is gone," Bruce said. "Ultron escaped through the internet." The Avengers were now in Tony's workshop surveying the damage.

"He was in everything and wiped it out. Files, surveillance.. it's gone. He probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha stated, crossing her arms across her chest.

"He could access anything- nuclear codes- he's in the internet. We need to make some calls, assuming we still can," Clint stated.

"He said he wanted us dead," Natasha said.

"He didn't say dead," Steve retorted. "He said extinct."

"He also said he killed somebody," Clint reminded them.

"But there wasn't anyone else in the building," Dr. Foster said.

"Yes. There was," Tony said in monotone. He flipped a remote and it showed the holographic shattered remains of Tony's closest friend and his only confident, Jarvis. For the second time in the past few days, Tony Stark fell to his knees, broken.


	10. The Mutant

**Author's note: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! Starting this week, for the sake of consistency, I will only be posting chapters on Thursdays.**

Every day was the same thing in this Hell. I was released from the handcuffs, shot up with adrenaline, tortured, fed, beat up on by my fellow trainees, and then handcuffed to the bed again. The torture had been going on for days, yet my mutation had yet to make any sort of appearance, and I had the feeling that I was frustrating my torturer. Each day was worse that the last. I refused to beg. Today had been electrocution and water boarding- at the same time. It was the closest I had come to begging for mercy, this was far more physically trying than anything before, but the joke was on the man- I couldn't breathe enough to beg.

Sometimes, after the torture and sparring with the other captives, I would be _forced_ to spar or weapons train instead of being handcuffed to the bed. Sometimes I wouldn't be. There was really so solid pattern. Guns still felt uncomfortable in my hand, although I had to admit, being under the threat of death was more motivating than Clint's training.

I was now confident that there was that there was no way the Avengers were alive. My dad would have never taken this long to find me. In order to keep the despair from crushing me, I was trying to focus on one thing and one thing only; getting revenge on the people responsible. Ajax. And to do that, I had to train, I had to get better. Then when I had the opportunity, I would strike.

And I was getting better. The first night, I made a lot of mistakes and as I predicted, completely got my ass kicked. The second night, I made less mistakes, and still got my ass kicked. The third night, I had finally adapted my fighting style to theirs, and it worked for me; the ass kicking was happening on both sides of the fight. The fourth night, I won.

Madame B had nodded approvingly at me holding the girl in a headlock. "Kill her," the order came.

I was shocked into silence for a few seconds. "I am not a murderer," was my response, and I easily pinched a nerve on her neck that made her pass out. I was worried that they would kill me for refusing a direct order, but then I realized that I didn't really care if they killed me or not. What did I have left?

So, I've been surviving, but barely. Although this wasn't mentally as bad as the years of abuse I suffered before the happy weeks with the Avengers, physically, I haven't been this bad before.

Right now, I was handcuffed to the bed, mentally begging sleep to take me, so I could escape through dreams. I knew it was childish, but I hadn't had a nightmare since I was taken here; possibly because reality _was_ a nightmare. The dreams seemed to be helping me through this torture, like a cool hand on a fevered forehead, and so I used the memory of them and the Avengers during the torture to help me survive and looked forward to the relief from reality at night.

The dreams weren't really anything solid. Just a mishmash of pictures of the short time I had had with my family. Not my mom and stepdad- my _real_ family. Tony, my father. His smile and his laugh. Natasha, my friend- sparring with her, her encouraging me, her hugging me. The Avengers' movie nights, and our family dinners-eating food, talking, and laughing. The warm feeling from these memories of my family were stronger than the torture.

But I would never experience them again in reality. And I knew that it was my fault they were dead, because if I wasn't alive, then the trap that had killed them never would have been laid.

I knew that these dreams were making me weaker in the long run- they were making me wish for something that I didn't have anymore, could never have again. The Avengers were dead. I accepted that.

Sometime, during the torture, my dreams of going to college and studying biomechanics disappeared. I now knew; I was a soldier. And if someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I wouldn't have known what they meant.

I woke up on the sixth day of my captivity screaming.

I had one of the nightmares again, about my past, the ones that normally the Avengers would have helped me think through. There was no one here now. No one to help me. I was alone. Alone in the dark, with the snickers of the other girls around me, laughing that Holly Stark had a nightmare.

I was alone.

The next morning, Madame B came earlier than usual. She had a creepy smirk on her face. I was tired and felt sick; I hadn't been able to go to sleep and the panic attack and adrenaline that accompanied the nightmare had left me drained.

The metal armed man and Ajax were with her. I groaned into my pillow. I didn't have the strength for this today.

 _I wish they would kill me and get it over with_.

No, I told myself firmly, as soon as I thought it. My story wasn't over yet. I had to get through this, avenge my family, and then- well, I guess I would be a renegade. Defending the people that couldn't defend themselves. The Avengers would be so disappointed if I just gave up and let myself die.

I turned my face out of my pillow and glared and the three adults, trying to channel my inner snark. "Morning, psycho bitch, Dishsoap, and poorly-made prosthetic. Haven't seen you in awhile, Dishsoap. What brings you around? In the neighborhood?"

Ajax smiled. "Good morning, Ms. Stark. We're going to be doing something a little bit… different… today."

"Yay, I was starting to get bored," I said sarcastically. "Round the clock torture, you know, kinda looses its effect after a while."

They didn't say anything for a minute. I sensed that Madame B was nervous. "I thought we wanted to keep her intelligence intact? This could break her," I heard her whisper. "I mean, breaking her was always the point- but this, this could damage her beyond repair."

 _Oh, so that's why I wasn't brainwashed,_ I realized. _They wanted to make sure that they could still utilize my Stark brain._ _Wait; what the hell were they going to do to me now What the hell could they do that would break my intelligence?_ I tried to get myself to think ahead of them, to focus my scattered thoughts.

Ajax smirked. "I hope it does."

They led me into a room that had a singular chair and a monitor. I noticed, in a panic, that they although I was handcuffed, they hadn't bothered with a blindfold. A bald man in a lab coat was waiting. They slammed me into the chair, tightened the restraints, and hooked electrodes up to my chest and forehead. Brain waves and my heart rate showed up on the screen. I was glad that my heart rate was close to resting; it gave me the appearance that I wasn't afraid.

Ajax took out a syringe and a bottle.

I rolled my eyes. "Ooh, Dishsoap is gonna give me a shot. I'm so afraid." _What the hell was in that?_

"You should be. This contains something that directly passes the blood-brain barrier to enter your brain. It will effect the fear center of your brain, causing you to hallucinate your worst memories, just like you were actually living them again."

 _No. I couldn't go back there._ I knew what my worst memories probably were, and all of them took place in Tempe. The monitor showed my heart rate jumping from 61 to 110.

"We seemed to have struck a nerve. Sweet dreams, Ms. Stark."

Ajax plunged the needle into my neck and he and Madame B left the room. "Monitor her," he said to the man in the lab coat.

The world flickered.

 _I was starving and beat up. My mother had left for work before I had gotten up for school, and my stepfather wouldn't let me have breakfast or pack a lunch. I could have stolen food from the school's cafeteria, but that was wrong; that was stealing. He wouldn't let me eat a snack after school, and after I asked, he began to smack me around from one side of the house to the other. I couldn't stop crying, and my nose and mouth was bleeding everywhere and that was making him angrier._

 _I tried comforting myself by telling myself when my stepfather left for work and my mom came home, she would feed me and I would tell her. Today would be the day that I would finally tell her what my stepfather had been doing behind closed doors. Sure, Mom had punished me when I deserved it, but nothing like this- nothing this bad. I wasn't this bad of a kid to deserve this._

 _"_ _HOLLY MARIA STARK!" I heard Mom scream. I ran to the front door, ready to tell her. She kissed my stepfather and he left for work._

 _My mom instead was pointing to blood on the carpet in the entryway from when he slammed my face against the door. "Why the hell haven't you cleaned this up yet? You little fuck up!"_

 _Her words didn't phase me anymore; she'd talked like this since she'd married my stepfather six months ago._

 _"_ _Mom… it's not my fault," I said, trying to stop crying and wiping blood and snot off my face. "I haven't eaten yet today, James wouldn't let me. And then when I got home from school and asked if I could have a snack, he said no and started to… he started to hit me." I took a deep breath. My secret was out. I caught a whiff of booze- she had been drinking._

 _"_ _Shut up, you little bitch!" she yelled. "You're lucky we've kept you! He doesn't want you and I sure as hell don't!"_

 _I snapped my head down to look at my feet, and I didn't even see the blow coming that knocked me off my feet._

 _"_ _Get up!" She yanked me to my feet and dragged me down the hallway into the living room. Opening the sliding glass door, she threw me outside onto the concrete patio. I heard the door slam and lock behind me._

It wasn't unlocked until the next morning, and I knew, then, at seven years old, that no one cared about me.

"ENOUGH!" I screamed. It felt like my molecules were ripping apart. The anguish from reliving that awful day was coursing through me like electricity. A white light was blinding me, there was a rapid beeping noise coming from somewhere. I couldn't see, it hurt, the pain was coming straight from my core, from my heart_

The white light died down. The pain faded. I lay there, exhausted, mind and body spent. I looked at the man and the lab coat. He was down on the ground. Blood was coming out of his nose and ears. I knew, without needing to check, that he was done. Whatever my mutation had done, it had killed him. Too bad Ajax wasn't in the room.

I couldn't do anything but try to breathe. My vision was blurring. I saw Ajax, metal arm, and Madame B walk back into the room.

"Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that she'd be able to manipulate energy," I heard Ajax say. I saw them snap bangles around my wrist. I couldn't deal with this anymore. The world went black.

Nick Fury summoned the Avengers into his office on the helicarrier. Tony knew he was in deep shit, but he didn't care.

"I give you all a few days off and you guys let Stark create a murder bot!?"

"It's not a murder bot. It's to stop the next goddamn alien invasion from happening."

"It's a murder bot. Damn it, Stark."

"Do you have any information regarding my daughter?" Tony didn't have time for this. If Fury called all of the Avengers into his office just to yell at him, he was going to freak out.

"Are you going to ignore the fact that you just put the world in jeopardy?"

"I know what I did, Fury! I know I screwed up."

Steve put his hand on Tony's shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"You guys are gonna need to clean this up. Ultron's got the Maximoff twins with him."

"Who?" Tony asked, momentarily distracted.

"The enhanced humans we encountered in Sokovia. He's got super speed and she's got telekinesis, hypnosis, and energy projection," Steve explained.

"Well, they're after vibranium. South coast of Africa. You guys need to go clean this up before we have an international incident on our hands. You're guys are the ones who created a murder bot. Go stop him."

Steve nodded. "Yes, sir. When's the QuinJet leaving?"

Fury sighed, looking conflicted. Finally, he said "Gotta show you guys something. We found Holly."

Tony Stark shot to his feet.

"Why the hell didn't you start off with that? Where is she? Let's go," Tony said.

"Sit your ass down, Stark. You need to watch this first."

Wordlessly, he hit a button on his phone and the terrible scene played out.

Anyone who knew Natasha's past would immediately recognize the Red Room; the handcuffs on the bed, the young girls. And youngest and smallest of them all was Holly. Holly, who was currently handcuffed to the bed, her back exposed, with poorly stitched-up lacerations and very recent-looking contusions all over it. Someone unchained her, and Holly pulled on a t-shirt and stood, not even so much as wincing in pain. Another girl was unchained, and the two began a spar that was graceful and smooth; just like Natasha's style of fighting.

The Avengers watched in horror as Holly restrained the other girl, turned to look at someone off screen, and then incapacitated the girl. She must have ripped stitches sparring- the previously white t shirt was already spotting with blood.

"That was from a few days ago," Fury said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Our intel just collected it before you came into my office. It appears she was taken to a Red Room facility, located in the heart of Russia. Given that she definitely wasn't that great a fighter before she was kidnapped and she just killed someone_"

"She's been brain washed, implanted with false memories," Natasha said tonelessly. "I know the drill with the Red Room, and every single second we leave her there, she runs the risk of getting killed. So when do we go shut this thing down and get her back?"

"It's not your average Red Room. This is… different. Run by a different mastermind. Have you ever heard of Ajax?"

"That's the fresh-smelling liquid substance by the sink," Thor announced.

"His original name was Francis," Fury continued, ignoring Thor. "Until about a year ago, he ran a private sector. He'd lure dying, desperate people to willingly subject themselves to his 'care', and then he would inject them with a super-soldier like serum. They'd get their abilities, and then he would inject them with a control transmitter to turn them into slaves. Government weapons. Mysteriously, his old workshop blew up and he fled to Russia. It appears like they're trying it with kids, because they're easier to train and control. The kids in the Red Room were perfect subjects. They want to make child versions of the Winter Soldier."

Tony was whiter than Steve had ever seen him. Steve was sure that he didn't look too good, himself. But he was the leader, and he had to act like it. He put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You said super-soldier _like_ serum," Steve said. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's a serum that triggers any mutations in their genes," Fury answered. "All the kids in that room are children of extraordinary parents. Holly was targeted months ago by Hydra because of her fantastic intellectual abilities, but they didn't have a chance. They tried going after her at her stepfather's old place, but she had luckily already ran away and wasn't on anyone's radar. I don't know how the hell she managed to stay hidden when she was traveling to Malibu, but somehow they found out that she was your daughter and laid the trap for her in New York. I don't know if Holly's been injected or not with the serum or not. She didn't seem to be using any supernatural abilities in the video."

"Okay, so we know what we're getting into. A mutant workshop/Red Room type situation. When are we leaving?" Steve asked.

"Here's where things get even more complicated," Fury sighed. "There's already another mutant human lurking there that's got Francis on his hit list. He was a victim of the workshop that exploded. Somehow, he made it out alive. His name is Wade Wilson. He goes by Deadpool."

"What's the problem? We both want to kill the same guy? We'll draw straws for it," Tony said listlessly.

"No, Stark. The problem is that if this guy sees you, he's probably going to kill you. And Holly. And probably every other mutant in that room. He's a madman, absolutely deranged. We need to be delicate about this, because if we don't, everyone will probably die. Everyone but him, because he _can't_ die. You guys may need to tranq Holly, because if she's been brain washed, odds are she's going to try to kill you, and we need to show the Merc with a Mouth that we're on the same side. Not to mention, he needs to know not to kill Holly before you guys go after Francis. He shoots first and asks questions later."

"Still don't see what the problem is," Natasha said. "We've had harder missions."

"I'm having a hard time justifying sending out the Avengers for one kid!" Fury barked. "You're all needed to go take down Ultron and the twins. You created this problem, Stark! You need to fix this. This takes precedent over your daughter."

Steve wrapped his arms around Tony, who had just lunged at Fury. "What's going to be worse, Fury?" he asked, easily restraining Stark, even though Steve wanted to punch Fury as well. "Us splitting up and potentially getting hurt, or the havoc that a mutant as smart as Holly Stark could wreak on the world? We need to shut this program down. We'll do it with or without your help, but if you give us your intel then we'll have a better chance of coming out alive. We'll split up. Stark, Barton, Romanoff, you three go get Holly. Just try and go in and out. We can shut the program down later." He regretted immediately what he was doing. Him splitting up the team would likely get somebody killed. Maybe they could get Holly first, and then go stop Ultron. But Steve was a soldier, and he knew- you went where you would save the most people. Splitting up the Avengers was the only way that he could justify putting Holly before the rest of the world. Not to mention Tony would try to go alone whether Steve liked it or not. "Banner, Thor- you're with me."

"Quinjets will be ready in five minutes. I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing, Rogers."

In response, Steve turned to his team. "Suit up. Tony, Nat, Clint- bring our girl home."

I woke up on my bed, alone in the room. Along with the handcuffs, I now had black bangles on my wrists that had red lights on them. What the hell were they for?

There was a shuffling sound- I wasn't alone. Metal arm was in the room with me. I groaned. I couldn't take anymore torture. I was too tired.

He unsnapped my handcuffs. "Sit up," he said gruffly. I obeyed.

In his real hand, he held a pile of sand. In his metal one, he held a small controller. He clicked something, and the lights on the bangles went from red to green. I felt something strange in my arms- almost like a tingling.

"Your mutation is Energy Bending. You can influence the atomic particles in non-complex substances. Move the sand."

"What? I don't understand_"

He backhanded me. "Move the sand."

I stared down at my hands. The tingling feeling…

I focused on the sand. The tingling feeling intensified, and with my left hand, I made a tight fist. The sand grains flew together and formed a small ball the size of a raindrop. It felt like I was flexing, and I held it for a few seconds before unclenching my fist. The sand grains flew apart, scattering.

The metal armed man smiled. "Bring the grains back together."

"But I don't know where they went."

"Find them."

I closed my eyes and thought about the sand grains. I could… sense them? It was confusing. Even though my eyes were closed, I knew exactly where every grain was. I clenched my fist and opened my eyes. The sand particles, plus a bunch of dirt that had covered the wooden floor, was formed just above my closed fist.

My heart began hammering. This was what I needed- this is what I could use to escape and kill Ajax! This was so cool.

Metal arm pressed the remote control.

The lights on the bangles turned from green to red and it felt like my arms had been torn from my sockets. "Arg!" I yelped. The dirt and sand scattered. Metal man took the opportunity to handcuff me back to my bed. Damn- the stupid bangles were somehow blocking my ability to manipulate the particles.

"Holly Stark. Well done," said the smooth voice of Ajax. I turned to the doorway and glared at him. "You've learned much of what this program can teach you. You're done; you'll move on. Your graduation ceremony is tomorrow," Ajax smirked.

"Yay, another diploma," I said sarcastically, but really I was afraid. Graduation ceremony? They had brainwashed Natasha; was this it?

"Ms. Stark, don't worry. You won't be getting another piece of paper. See, I'm not sure what you thought this was for, but we don't make super humans and then set them loose. We make super slaves. You'll be injected with the control tomorrow- my commencements for you- and then you'll be sterilized, courtesy of traditional Red Room training."

"You sick bastard," I snarled, trying to jump up and forgetting that I was handcuffed to the bed.

"Enjoy your last day of freedom." Ajax and Metal arm left the room.

I wish they would have just killed me.


	11. First Battle

**I hope you like this chapter! I'm still trying to find a regular time to post; my schedule is crazy. Those of you who review, thank you! It helps me become a better writer and encourages me.**

 **I don't own anything but the OC character.**

Natasha heart rate had skyrocketed the minute that they said they found Holly and then stopped when she saw the Red Room in the video. Holly Stark, even if it didn't take years to psychologically fix the brainwashing and emotional damage, would still never be the same. She would be a ruthless and uncontrollable killer, not the sweet little girl that was selfless and eager to learn, excited for a safe future. When you went in the Red Room, you either came out in a coffin or you came out a monster.

Natasha was living proof.

The only hope, she knew, was the anti-serum that they were working on for the Winter Soldier. Nick Fury had told her in confidence, that they were working on something to undo the brainwashing that Bucky Barnes had suffered. It was still in the testing phases, but potentially they could use it on Holly.

But Holly would still remember the treatment she had been given and what she had done. That would change a person. But the Avengers would be there to help her deal with it. Natasha had to trust that Holly would let them help her. The kid had already suffered enough from the abuse of her mother and stepfather, and now she had to deal with this. Natasha couldn't fathom how unfair it all was.

***  
Memories were by far the worst torture I had endured so far. I knew by this time tomorrow, my life as a free person would be over. To me, that was worse than death. They say that your life flashes before your eyes before you die. No one tells you that when you know ahead of time your life would end, your life is a multi feature on repeat.

Again and again, I saw my life. The good times with my mom, when we went fun places like the park and the zoo. When I started school and they realized I was different and jumped me through the grades. When my mom and stepdad got married. The abuse. Graduating high school and walking at commencements and then realizing that my mom and stepdad didn't even both coming. Mom's death, me running away, the trying weeks getting to Malibu.

And then, the real part of my life. The one where I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. All of the training, the movie nights, the laughs.

The Avengers dying. My fault. My fault completely. The world needed them, and thanks to me, they were dead.

I wish I were dead. I deserved to die. Although being mind controlled and forced to hurt and kill people, I suppose that was like my own personal Hell. Maybe I was getting exactly what I deserved.

The QuinJet landed and Tony, Hawkeye, and Natasha proceeded on foot to the compound where the Red Room program was being run. Tony was using some sort of energy shield around them for stealth; they could only be seen by the naked eye.

Suddenly, a humanoid dropped from the trees and landed right in front of them. "OMG! It's the Avengers! Can I have your autograph!? Hey, that's not nice!"

Hawkeye had an arrow pointed at the figure wearing a black and red suit and mask get-up with katanas strapped to his back.

"Deadpool," Natasha said calmly. "I'm Black Widow, this is Hawkeye, and that's Iron Man. I believe we have a common interest."

"If by common interest you mean killing the sack of dicks known as Francis, then yeah, I'd say we have a common interest."

Deadpool looked at nothing in particular. "Oh come on guys, you knew this was coming! Deadpool meets up with Avengers, they become BFFs. Much better than the Sex-Men. Oops. I mean, X-Men."

This guy was insane.

"Who the hell are you talking too?" Hawkeye asked.

Tony removed his faceplate and stepped forward, offering his hand to Deadpool. "Tony Stark. That 'sack of dicks' kidnapped my daughter and injected her with shit to mutate her. I will give you anything- ANYTHING- if you help us get her back. We just want my daughter. You can kill the fucker, we'll help you barge into this place- but help us get my daughter out."

"THAT SHIT BISCUIT IS RUNNING ANOTHER MUTANT WORKSHOP? Fuck!" He kicked a tree and shook Tony's hand. "Stark, I'm so sorry. I went through it- it's a shit storm. I just want Francis. But you have my word- I won't harm your daughter. I'm interested in what you'll owe me for it, and I'll cash in that favor later. How's that?"

"Let's go. Here's an earpiece so we can stay in contact with each other."

Deadpool took it and tucked it into his utility belt. He clearly wasn't going to let them see his face. "Stark? Here's my number. In case you need to know anything about helping your daughter recoup from this." He handed Tony a Taco Bell napkin with a phone number on it. "Time to make the chimi-fucking-changas."

Natasha shook her head. She hoped to God that this dude's insanity wasn't from the mutant serum, because if Holly was injected with it, she was screwed.

The four crept towards the compound, keeping a low profile.

Natasha eyed the heavy wooden front door of the compound. "Okay, this is how it's gonna be. We're gonna sneak in_"

"Maximum effort!" Deadpool muttered and ran past them, knocking Tony aside. He sprinted straight up to the door and kicked it down. "WHERE THE FUCK IS FRANCIS!?" He screamed. There was gunfire, and they heard Deadpool's manic laugh.

"That guy has some screws loose," Clint said as Natasha, Tony, and he exchanged panic-stricken looks. What if that psychopath killed Holly by accident? Well, if anything, Deadpool was creating a diversion. At least he wasn't as bad as Fury had said it was going to be, although judging from the guy's behavior, he was obviously a loose cannon and it easily could have went south.

The gunfire woke me, even though I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep. What was this- a training exercise?

A quick sweep of the room told me that it wasn't; all of the kids were handcuffed to their beds. It was the middle of the night. Maybe SHIELD found me?

 _Don't get your hopes up,_ I thought bitterly.

It drove me crazy to just wait as the gunfire got closer. Maybe this was my chance. Maybe whoever the shooter was would exterminate me.

All of the girls were awake now and trying desperately to escape from their handcuffs. I didn't bother.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS FRANCIS!?" A figure in a black and red suit kicked down the door to our sleeping room. "Have you seen this man?" He asked, holding up a poster- no, it was a hand drawn picture.

Some of the girls had somehow managed to escape and they attacked him skillfully. Without missing a beat, he _decapitated_ them with one of his katanas. Holy shit!

"Oh, damn. Right. Stark. Which one of you spider monkeys is Stark?" he asked, looking around.

"Right here." Finally. He was obviously looking for me for a reason. Maybe he wanted to kill me and I wouldn't even have to beg.

He used his katana to slash through my handcuffs. "Let's go."

I sat up and set my jaw. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm done. Kill me."

He sighed. "I don't have time for this, princess, I've got bad guys to kill."

"Then kill me. Do it." I wanted to die. I don't care what he wanted from me. I was spent. I couldn't take the guilt anymore. The Avengers were dead. It was my fault.

The masked figure looked at me. I wished I could see his expression. He raised his one of his katanas.

The three gave Deadpool a thirty second head start and then crept into the compound behind him.

"This place is set up exactly like my Red Room," Natasha breathed, trying not to panic. "This way."

The three continued along, and Natasha was shocked at the sheer amount of carnage that Deadpool left in his wake. Not injured people- dead people.

After a few minutes and traveling close to a mile through corridors, Deadpool's cocky voice sounded in their ears. "Hey, Golden Trio? I've got your girl. She looks just like you, Stark. I'm sorry I had to knock her out- she and the rest of the giggle gang tried to kill me. But don't worry; you'll find her if you keep running down the hallway. Follow the dead bodies. I'm off to find the wheezing sack of dick tips. Stark, I'll be at your Tower later. You owe me. And by the way, your costumes are way cooler than the X-Men."

Tony, Natasha, and Clint kept up their guard, but sprinted down the hallway and burst into the sleeping room. All of the girls were either dead or unconscious on the floor or handcuffed to the bed. Except one, who looked like she had been tossed unceremoniously onto a bed.

"Holly," Tony breathed a sigh of relief, picking her up.

"Come on, guys, let's get out of here. This is way too easy," Natasha said. "I don't like this. Call in for evac."

They turned towards the door that they came through and Clint swore.

The Winter Soldier was blocking their way.

"Leave the girl," he growled. "And I won't kill you."

"Nat, defend Holly. Wake her up, if you can, and get her out of here. Clint, let's get him. Aim to kill."

Clint scoffed. "You don't have to tell me twice."

While Tony and Clint attacked the Winter Soldier, driving him into the hallway, Natasha tried to revive Holly. The kid had more lacerations than Natasha could count, all over her; some stitched up, some scabbed over, and some still trickling blood, seeping through her thin clothing. All looked infected. It was difficult to look at her; it was hard to find skin that wasn't bruised, cut, or burned. Regretting it, Nat finally shocked her with her Widow's Bite in an attempt to wake her up.

It worked. Holly groaned and struggled to sit up. Natasha felt her heart break as she registered the fear, pain, and mistrust in her eyes. All of their hard work over the past few weeks to get Holly to feel safe was obviously gone. But instead of cowering, like Holly would have done just a week ago, she looked confused. "Damn. I'm supposed to be dead. But you are, too. So I suppose he did kill me."

Natasha was bewildered. "What? Why am I supposed to be dead?"

"Ajax- he said that you, and Dad, and the rest of them were killed trying to get the scepter."

If possible, Natasha's heart broke even further. "Oh, Holly. Ajax lied to you. We're safe. We're here to take you home."

Holly's face was deadpan. "I knew it. I'm dead. The dude in the red suit killed me."

Natasha laughed without humor. "The dude in the red suit's name is Deadpool, and he helped us _save_ your life, but you will be dead if we don't move. Can you stand?"

Holly swiftly stood up, looking more awake now. "I'm fine. But Nat, I gotta get these cuffs off." She gestured to two bangles on her wrists. "They're blocking my bending. The man with the metal arm has a remote- he might be able to get them off."

"Oh, you mean this remote?"

"DAD!" Holly yelled, running and hugging the armor-clad Tony Stark, probably giving herself a few new bruises in the process as her bare arms slammed into his armor.

Tony held his daughter as tightly as he dared- he was still in the Iron Man suit, after all. "You took years off your old man's life, kiddo," he said back. He pressed a button and the cuffs snapped open.

"What do you mean, blocking your bending? You were injected? You mutated? But she's not brainwashed," Tony said, looking at Natasha for confirmation.

"I don't think so," Natasha shrugged. "Did you guys kill the Winter Soldier?"

Tony shook his head. "No, just drove him off. Holly, what happened to you?"

"Let's get out of here, first," Holly said, clearly wanting to get out of the compound. Natasha couldn't believe how calm she was being. By the look on Tony and Clint's face, they couldn't believe it either. She should be psychologically wrecked. Maybe she was brainwashed.

Holly hugged Clint and then Natasha before frowning, realizing that there were some family members missing. "Steve, Thor, Bruce… where are they? They're not_"

"No, they're not dead," Clint interrupted. "They had to go stop the murder bot your dad created."

"You did what?" Holly said, laughing, before she realized that Clint was serious. "Oh my god, what?"

"Tell us your story and we'll tell you ours."

Once we were safely aboard the QuinJet and Natasha was dressing my wounds, I started talking. For nearly twenty minutes, I told them everything. How I had been injected with the mutation-activation serum, the Red Room sparring against the other girls, making me a better fighter, and the torture. I hated seeing the looks on their faces, so I didn't go into details, and omitted that I had survived the physical torture but my memories betrayed me. Some things I wanted to keep private, so I didn't tell them exactly how I was tortured, just that I was. My physical appearance probably told them enough; I knew I looked grimy. I told them how I refused to kill the girl I had beaten. How I mutated, and the light… the energy… that had been thrown out of me that had killed a man… my first kill, even though it had been unintentional. What little I knew about the effects of my mutation. And finally, how I thought they were dead the entire time and that Ajax wanted to sterilize me and make me a slave. I also left out begging Deadpool to kill me. I didn't want them to worry more than their faces already showed.

I was shaking when I finished. The adrenaline that had came when Deadpool had run through the doors was long gone. I was actually a bit bitter that he had knocked me out so easily; the other girls attacked him, but he just ignored them and hit me with the hilt of his katana. Although I refused to acknowledge it, I knew that I probably had a concussion. Natasha had finished dressing the wounds on my back and had injected me with an antibiotic and a painkiller, so thanks to that, I felt better than I had all week.

"So tell me about your murder bot," I said when I was sitting up and drinking the water bottle Natasha handed me. She didn't look too good, and I knew that rescuing me from the Red Room brought terrible memories back for her. I felt awful that she put herself through that to save me, and wanted to apologize without making it awkward for her. I guessed I'd have to wait until later.

Tony and Clint took the next twenty minutes explaining what they knew about Ultron. "Okay, so we're headed to go help them now, right?" I asked, yawning.

"You're headed to a SHIELD helicarrier to be checked out. We're headed to go help them," Tony said firmly. "You're not in great shape right now, kiddo."

"I'm fine. Natasha just checked me out, I'm not in any immediate danger. Besides, they basically injected me with adrenaline around the clock to make it harder for me to pass out from pain."

"Oh, that makes it so much better," Natasha said sarcastically. It was the first time she had spoken since I had mentioned the graduation ceremony.

Tony took several deep breaths. Losing his shit and going on a rant now was not the best option. Holly was safe, and with him. "This isn't a democracy, kid," Tony said. "You're getting on the helicarrier and going to the infirmary."

"Um, Dad? I don't know if you know this, but I'm a mutant. I could probably hold my own against Natasha right now. I basically got Red Room P90X training. I can help. And be honest- you're wasting time rendezvousing with a SHIELD helicarrier when you could be getting to the real battle faster."

"Holly, no, end of discussion." Tony folded his arms across his chest.

"And there's also no way you could hold your own against me," Natasha added.

Holly's expression fell and she looked at her feet. "Dad, I can't lose you again. Last time you left me…"

Tony groaned. "You're so grounded for pulling that card. Fine."

Holly grinned triumphantly.

"You're not serious! She's twelve! We just busted her out of the Red Room! She needs to rest," Natasha argued.

"We can't stop her. She'd just get hurt trying to follow us," Clint sighed, putting a hand on Natasha's shoulder. Natasha glared at me. I was glad her best friend was helping her, since I obviously wasn't.

"We're twenty minutes from the new LZ," announced FRIDAY, Tony's new AI for his suit and tech toys.

"Holly, you're gonna need some coffee," Clint sighed.

Tony turned, bent down, and looked his daughter in the eye. "Holly, you're coming, but you stay in this QuinJet. You understand? You don't leave. Period. I'm going to contact the others."

A video screen showed on the monitor. Steve's face popped up.

Things were going badly. That was an understatement. As much as Steve hated himself for thinking it, they should have left rescuing Holly for after they stopped Ultron. Even with Dr. Banner there, they were having a hard time utilizing the technology necessary to track Ultron and the twins. They needed Stark there; so far, all they had done for twelve hours was sit in the QuinJet.

Suddenly, Tony's face appeared on one of the monitors of the dash. "Miss us, Spangles?" Tony asked.

Steve couldn't help but grin at the upbeat sound of Tony's voice. "You guys got our girl? How is she?"

"I'm right here, Cap," Holly's voice said. Steve knew his eyes bugged out at the girl's appearance, but he couldn't help it- Holly Stark awful. "I'm okay. Sore, beat up, but I'm ready to go."

Steve forced a smile. It was obvious that she was not anywhere close to okay. It was amazing how much she sounded exactly like Tony did when he was trying to hide pain. "That's great, kid. So, Tony- she wasn't brainwashed?"

Holly started babbling again. "No, I don't think I was. This dude in a red suit_"

"Deadpool_"

"Yeah, Douschepool, he knocked me out," Holly scowled, ignoring Steve indignant scolding of 'Language!' "And then Natasha woke me up and we blitzed outta there. I can't wait to see you guys! Did you start kicking Ultron's ass yet?"

"Holly, we're gonna start having a swear jar. And no, we haven't located him yet. Stark, you gonna drop Holly off and then come help us?" _Please,_ Steve thought.

"Holly's coming with us but gonna stay on the QuinJet with Bruce. And seriously Steve? A swear jar?"

"What? She's got a mouth, and she's only twelve. And are you sure that's a good idea? She should get checked over."

"Believe me, Spangles, I tried."

Steve groaned internally, knowing this was going to end bad, but they did need the help ASAP, and Holly didn't appear to be in any immediate danger.

"See you soon, then."

The Avengers were creeping up behind Ultron and the twins. They got within range just as Ultron was ranting, "Stark is a sickness!"

"Ah, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart," Tony said with some pep in his tone. He was still obviously elated about getting his daughter back.

Steve and Thor were with Tony in front of Ultron, Peitro, and Wanda. Natasha and Clint were behind them, still off their radar.

Ultron smirked. "If I have to. Where's your pretty little daughter, Stark?"

"Somewhere you can't get to," he shot back, all signs of playfulness gone.

Steve turned to the twins. "You two can still walk away from this."

Wanda scoffed. "Oh, we will."

"I know you've suffered," Steve continued.

Ultron butted in, "Ugh, Captain America! God's righteous man. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but…"

"Okay, Tony, he totally got that from you," Steve said, irritated.

"Let's cut to the chase. What's the vibranium for?" Tony asked.

Ultron laughed a terrible laugh. "I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!"

Suddenly, all Hell broke loose as the Iron Legion started to attack the Avengers, now supplemented by the twins.

I waited impatiently in the QuinJet with Bruce. At least they had given me a com-link, although that was freaking me out more because I couldn't see the battle, just hear it; it was as lame as listening to a sporting event on the radio with bad announcers.

Of course, right after Ultron called the Iron Legion, the stupid com-link started malfunctioning, freaking Bruce out. "Guys," he yelled. "Is this a code green?"

No answer.

Bruce opened the hatch. "Stay here," He said firmly. "If I transform, close this immediately."

I made no promises.

Clearly over the link, I heard Steve say "Thor, status."

"Opening this seems to have cleared up the link," Bruce said, satisfied, although he stepped outside.

"The girl tried to warp my mind," I heard Thor boom. "Be aware; I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty."

I snorted laughter and even Bruce, usually so serious, cracked a grin.

Everything on the com-link was silent until they heard Clint snap, "I've done the whole mind control thing. Not a fan." Wanda must have tried to mess with Clint. "Arg!" he yelled a second later.

"Clint! You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, you'd better run," Clint mumbled. "I'm good, guys."

"Whoever's standing, we've got to move!" Bruce shouted. "Guys?"

"You'll break them," I heard Natasha say in a dazed voice. "But what if I fail?"

"Scarlet Witch must have gotten into Natasha's mind," I said, balling my hands into fists. I needed to get out there. Scarlet Witch was probably making Natasha see the Red Room! But Bruce's eyes were flashing green. Now was not a good time to stress him out more and go rogue.

"I know your eyes," I heard Thor say. What? I thought Thor was mighty. What the hell could get inside a God's head? "I can still save you!" Thor gasped out. "ARG!"

Whatever Thor was seeing was torturing him.

"I have no place in the world," Natasha said, monotone.

I suddenly saw a female, not much bigger than me, behind Bruce. "Bruce!" I screamed, but it was too late; I… sensed… energy coming out of the woman. I couldn't explain it better than that. Wanda Maximoff was… like me. Mutated. Damaged. Bruce transformed into the Hulk, and he was off. She wasn't like me, then. I was smarter than releasing the Hulk!

"You bitch!" I yelled at Wanda. "Do you have any idea of the people that he could hurt!"

I saw something flicker across her features- regret? But it was replaced by a smirk. "You're Stark's daughter?"

"Nah. I'm just the Avenger's water girl." _Come closer. Give me a shot. I'll snap your neck for hurting my family._ I ignored the nagging feeling that came from my conscience, the one that realized this was the first time I was setting out to intentionally kill and was uncomfortable with it.

"Well, water girl. Have fun with your worst memories."

The red energy was trying to reach me, trying to infiltrate my mind, but it was like it couldn't. I knew- it was my mutation. Because we could both manipulate energy, we were repelling each other. So although I was seeing an image, it looked like a staticky TV, flickering with reality, and it had absolutely no effect on me. White energy mixed with red, and I launched myself at her, and we began sparring, even though it was difficult to see straight. Wanda's face was priceless; I don't think anyone else had ever been able to resist the hallucination.

As soon as I touched Scarlet Witch, I received a huge shock, and from the look on her face, so did she.

My head was killing me, I didn't know how much longer I could stay conscious…

The shock didn't hurt me, but it pissed me off to end. Natasha, Thor, and probably Steve were experiencing crippling hallucinations, she had made Bruce Hulk out, and who knows where my father and Clint were. I could feel the energy building inside me like a tsunami as I attacked her, receiving shocks with each contact shot. She wasn't attacking me, just defending, and it was sloppy work at that. Even though I was smaller, I was the better fighter. After about thirty seconds, I felt my whole body vibrating with the pent up energy my adrenaline was creating. Here we go again. I hope the blast didn't reach far enough to kill anyone else besides Scarlet Witch. Just as I felt the energy built to the breaking point, Quicksilver- the Maximoff boy- picked up his sister and ran.

"NO!" Holly screamed, either at the escape of Scarlet Witch or in fear of what was about to happen, and Tony watched in terror as a bright light exploded from his daughter.

The next few minutes were chaos. Whatever Holly did had caused the Hulk to change back and snap Natasha, Steve, and Thor out of the Scarlet Witch's mind game. Unfortunately, in the chaos, Ultron, Wanda, and Pietro escaped- _with_ the vibranium.

But Tony gave two shits about the vibranium right now. Holly had fallen unconscious and nothing, not even the Widow's Bite, could wake her up. They guessed that she had thrown out all of her energy in an uncontrolled burst, which, while it obviously had salvaged the battle, had also completely drained Holly.

The team was down. Natasha wasn't speaking, just sat by Holly's unconscious form and absentmindedly stroked her hair, looking regretful. Clint was holding Natasha's hand. Bruce felt terrible for Hulking out, but was relieved that the damage wasn't greater- hell, thanks to Holly and whatever she had done, the damage had been almost nothing; still, he was freaked out about what could have happened. Thor was still pissy about the scepter being missing. And Tony and Steve were trying to decide what to do next. It was an agitated, depressed bunch of Avengers.

Tony was pacing, explaining to Steve about what Francis had exactly put his daughter through. "She was injected with the serum, which triggers mutated genes when the subject is put under extreme stress- in this case, extreme stress meaning Holly's torture," Tony said, distracted. "I don't know what on earth it really is; how could Holly throw out her energy like that?"

"We'll figure it out later, Tony. Don't worry. We've gotta rest up. Rest up, hide out until SHIELD finds Ultron, and then we go and get him."

Tony nodded. "I need to call Pepper. She doesn't know Holly's safe. I'll do it when we're in the helicarrier."

"Tony. Holly's a mutant, now. SHIELD is gonna get involved," Steve said carefully. "She's a mutant… and mutants aren't protected under the same laws as humans. Maybe we should wait a few hours for everything to calm down- find a safehouse-"

"She needs Dr. Foster."

"I know somewhere we can go that's safe away from SHIELD," Clint said, and he took the wheel of the QuinJet. "Bruce can check Holly out."

Tony nodded at Clint and turned to Steve. "She's my daughter, not just a rogue mutant. If Fury still wants the Avengers in cool uniforms with upgraded weapons, he'll make an exception."

Steve backed off.


	12. The Barton's Safehouse

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the original character.**

I felt like I was trying to climb out of a pool of molasses. I had nothing left, no energy. I remembered, though- who I was, where I came from, what I'd been through, and what had happened in Africa. I remembered that the Avengers were alive. My brain couldn't cope, the whiplash my thoughts were having right now was terrible, but I knew I had to go find out if the team was okay after I had thrown out that energy blast. Oh, God. What if I killed them? The adrenaline from the thought forced my eyes open.

My surroundings couldn't have been any more different than the last time I had woken up. I was in a large, comfortable bed surrounded by what looked like a normal bedroom; a chest of drawers, pictures on the walls, hardwood floor. It felt too normal, but also very homey. I'd never been in a room like this- one that looked lived-in in a good way. Probably because I hadn't decorated my room in Stark Tower. The only light coming into the room was from a wall plug-in; it must be nighttime. I heard voices coming from below- no, downstairs- and knew it was my family. I forced myself up and almost fell back over due to dizziness. I shook my head, trying to make myself think clearly. Had to see if everyone was okay. I bet Ultron escaped- we needed to find him. I couldn't hold on to a solid thought. My head was pounding. Where was I?

For the first time, I realized that I wasn't in the bloodstained clothes from the Red Room and instead was wearing what looked like a pair of boys' pajamas. Someone had cleaned me up and- judging by the feeling of my back, they had also redressed my wounds- then put me to bed. That was embarrassing. No one had taken care of me like that in my memory. It was always me cleaning myself up after I had been beaten.

While I looked around, I noticed that on a chair was a pair of child-sized jeans, a black t-shirt, and a flannel shirt. Good enough for me. I quickly changed, braided my hair back into a French braid, although not as good as Natasha did it, and went down stairs, trying to force myself to look awake and alert.

I walked into the kitchen doorway to see Natasha, Bruce, and Steve sitting around the table, two kids, both younger than me- although I was probably wearing the boy's clothes, come to think of it- coloring on the floor, and an unknown women at the sink, being hugged from behind by Clint. Clint had a wife? Or a girlfriend? Tony owed me twenty bucks. I told him Clint and Nat were just friends.

"Hey, Holly. How are you feeling?" Bruce asked. All of the heads in the room snapped toward me.

"I'm… okay." I didn't want to admit that I felt like hell, even though I was visibly shaking. I was just tired, and my brain didn't feel like it was processing things correctly. Deadpool definitely gave me a concussion.

"I need my dad," I said suddenly, realizing that only two-thirds of my family was in the room. "Where is he?" I asked. "And Thor?"

"Your dad is fixing the tractor in the barn. Thor returned to Asgard to check on something," Steve answered.

I sighed in relief. "What happened after I… passed out?"

"You saved the day, that's what," Clint said, coming around and giving me a fist bump before steering me into the kitchen seat next to Natasha. He was probably worried I was going to fall over if I was standing much longer. "Guess what, kids? Holly's a super hero!"

"She's too little. She can't be a superhero," said the little girl.

Bruce smiled at me. "That energy burst you threw out seemed to do the trick; snapped Thor, Nat, and Steve out of the Maximoff girl's hallucination and transformed me back. I didn't even hurt anyone or destroy anything."

"That's weird. Last time it happened, when I first mutated, it killed a man," I said. The unknown woman glared. "I'm sorry," I apologized quickly. Probably didn't want me to corrupt the kids, even though technically I was a kid as well. Huh, that was weird. I was only twelve. How many years ago did I turn twelve? Wait, that didn't make any sense. _Why was I thinking so slowly?_

Natasha must have noticed my confusion. "Bruce evaluated you. You were running a fever as of_" she checked her watch "_four hours ago, you have a concussion, and an energy level test showed you were almost completely drained, in addition to all of your other superficial injuries. No broken bones, thankfully. We almost bailed on the Barton's place and took you to SHIELD's infirmary instead," Natasha informed me. So, this was Clint's family. She put her cool hand on my forehead. "You still feel like you're running a fever. How do you really feel?"

"I'm fine, 'Tasha," I muttered, even though I knew it was pointless to lie to her. I couldn't wait until I learned how to lie efficiently. My mind raced for something that would distract her. As if on cue, my stomach let out a huge growl.

"I'm going to get you something to eat. When was the last time you ate?" Mrs. Barton asked, pulling out a pan and what looked like a can of soup.

I wracked my brain. I realized I had no idea how long I was out for. "Um, I don't know. How long has it been since the battle?"

"You were out for a day, sweetheart," Natasha told me quietly.

"So…" I tried to gauge time appropriately. "Two or three days, maybe? Time passed weird in the Red Room."

"Why didn't you say something on the QuinJet?" Clint asked.

"I wasn't hungry," I shrugged.

"We're not mind readers, kid, you've got to tell us when you need something."

"Clint!" scolded his wife. "Give her a break. She's been through a lot."

We all sat in companionable silence for awhile. My mind wandered, not really thinking about anything in particular. Now that the energy rush from the fear that I killed a family member was gone, I was about ready to go lay down again.

"Eat," Mrs. Barton said, breaking the silence as she put a bowl of vegetable soup in front of me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Barton," I said politely. I didn't say that my head was pounding and I felt way too nauseous to eat.

The back door opened. "Dad!" I exclaimed, trying to stand up. I almost fell over; I was too dizzy, either from the concussion Deadpool gave me or the lack of food. Natasha caught me before I could fall and pulled me back to my seat before giving me a look. I surrendered and took a bite of the soup. It was amazing how much better food tasted when you weren't surrounded by people who wanted to kill you, although the glare that Natasha had sent me was terrifying.

"Holly, you're up," my dad said, sounding relieved, although he looked worried when Natasha had to steady me.

Behind my dad was Fury. I stiffened. _Last time I saw the guy, he made my family leave and I was taken to the Red Room and I was tortured and oh, God, I didn't want them to leave again…_

Mrs. Barton snapped me out of my panic."I'm going to go put the kids to bed," she said. The Barton children followed her up the stairs. She probably didn't have the security clearance to hear what Fury was about to say. Or maybe she just didn't want them exposed to 'ol Patchy and his foul mouth. This was probably my cue to leave, too.

I put down my soup spoon. "I guess I'll go, too?" I asked, half a question. I wasn't sure if the 'kids' meant me or not.

"You proved your worth. You get to stay." Tony said this firmly. I noticed that the team was nodding. I smiled.

"But keep eating," Natasha added. I shot her a glare; she was channeling Pepper or something. She sent me a smile.

"How is Agent Coulson?" I asked. Phil's fate had been on my mind for awhile. I wondered if his blood would be on my hands, too.

"He's fine. Fully recovered." With that, Fury began the debriefing.

"Ultron took you guys out of play to buy himself time," Fury stated. "My contacts say he's building something."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a catholic rabbit. Doesn't give us any insight to any of his plans, though," Fury sighed.

"Still going after those nuclear codes?" Tony asked.

"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway."

"Seriously?" Tony asked, sounding offended. "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."

"It really took you until high school? I did it during my first and only year of middle school."

The Avengers and Fury looked at the Starks in astonishment.

"It's so creepy when you guys do stuff like that," Clint grumbled. "So obvious you're related."

"Yeah, well," Fury said, ignoring both Starks and Clint, "We asked our friends at Nexus about that. He's fixated on the missiles. But the codes are constantly being changed."

"By who?" asked Tony.

"Parties unknown," Fury answered.

"We have an ally?" Asked Natasha, hopeful.

I had been falling asleep, but at that comment I was shaking my head before I could stop myself. "No, Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing," I said grimly as my head gave a nasty throb.

Fury nodded, looking at me curiously. "That's right."

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping that when I saw you that you'd have more than that." I was surprised at the tone in Natasha's voice.

"I do. I have you. Ultron says you kids are the only thing between him and his mission. And his mission is global destruction. All this_" Fury gestured around at the Barton's homey kitchen_ "In a grave." He paused, and he used his eye to look directly at each of the Avengers, and, surprisingly, me. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

There was a long pause.

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk," Natasha said with a snarky grin.. "Fury, you need to put a quarter in the swear jar."

"You know what, Romanoff," Steve retorted playfully.

"So, what does Ultron want?" Fury asked the group.

I was silent. I knew this wasn't the time for witty comebacks, and my head was splitting; I couldn't think logically. I just wanted to go back to bed.

"To become better," stated Steve. "Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

"Efficient bodies," Tony said, his eyes coming to life. "The human model is outdated, he wants to improve it. But he keeps coming back to it," he added, shaking his head.

Natasha smirked. "If you two wanted him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed," she shot at Bruce and Tony.

Humans don't need to be protected; they need to evolve," Bruce muttered. "Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" Fury asked.

My face went pale as neurons fired and I made the connection. Dr. Foster and I had talked about her biomechanics machine that could regrow human tissue. It wasn't that far of a stretch to think that it could be used to work with the vibranium…

"Oh my God, has anyone talked to Dr. Foster lately?" I choked out. From the looks on their faces, I could tell it clicked for Fury and the Avengers.

Fury, Tony, Bruce, and Steve had left immediately to go contact Dr. Foster, and were discussing plans to leave the Barton household first thing in the morning. Clint had gone to bed. I had finished half of my soup, and despite Natasha's wheedling, I refused to eat anymore. "I feel sick. Can I eat more later? I promise I will. Please?" I begged. "My head really hurts."

"Fine," Natasha gave in. "Let's get you back to bed."

I didn't argue, and although it embarrassed me to need her help, I leaned on Natasha so she could help me up the stairs. I'm glad she didn't try to carry me. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I don't know why I'm so tired. I wasn't this weak when I was actually getting tortured."

"I'm sure the adrenaline they were shooting you up with had something to do with that," She said softly. "Holly, are you okay? It's just me and you right now. You can tell me." I had forgotten how well Natasha could see straight through me.

I was quiet and fumbled with the buttons on my borrowed flannel, trying to formulate words.

"How about we play the question game? You tell me what's going through your head, and then you can ask me something," Natasha gently suggested. I had the feeling she was treating me with kid gloves. She thought I was emotionally fragile right now. Maybe I was.

She cared. Tony cared. The Avengers cared. "Okay."

Natasha helped me into my pajamas so I wouldn't rip open my stitches and then got me into bed. She wanted to know what was going through my head? How could I tell her, when I couldn't even formulate a solid thought? "I… I don't know. I think I'm okay. I don't feel as afraid anymore. It's not like what happened in my past was easy, but… I think I have a purpose now. That makes me feel better. And I have that defense mechanism of throwing out energy now, so that kind of makes me feel safer. And I have you guys." I rolled over onto my stomach to relieve the pressure on my back and Natasha pulled the blankets up over me.

"You must be tired. I don't think you've ever willingly went to bed before," she chuckled. "And I'm glad that you feel safe around us."

"Yeah. Wait a week, I'll be giving all you Avengers grey hair again. But we gotta find Ultron first. Then we can go home. I want to go home."

"We'll get you home soon, kiddo. And then we'll all be watching bad pop culture movies and laughing at Steve's reaction."

I was quiet for the next couple of minutes, thinking about my question for Natasha. I think she knew what I was going to ask. "Natasha? When they were talking to me… about the graduation ceremony… they said the mind controller was thanks to Ajax, and the sterilization was tradition." I saw Natasha stiffen, and briefly I worried that the spy was going to hit me. I pushed forward anyway. "Were… were you sterilized? Is that what Scarlet Witch showed you?"

Her expression was unreadable. "Yes."

"So… you can't have kids?"

Natasha shot me a glare. "You are way too smart to not know what 'sterilize' means," she snapped.

"But… that's stupid. What's the point? Like, think about it. If you and Clint had kids, they'd be assassin-archer super spies. Like, just based on genetics, it'd be smart to have you reproduce." One look at her face told me that it definitely was not the most sensitive thing to say, and I tried to backtrack. "I'm sorry. That was really stupid to say. And I'm sorry that you came to get me today. I wish you wouldn't have, I didn't want you to be hurt because of me. I don't want any of you to be hurt because of me." I didn't know why, but somehow I still felt the guilt from the past week that Ajax had instilled in me from 'killing' the Avengers.

"Don't ever apologize for that again. You're worth it." She gave a dark chuckle. "And this is why they sterilized all the 'graduates' of the Black Widow program… it's the one thing that might matter more than a mission. Protecting your family." she kissed me on the forehead, turned off the light, and left.

That was unexpected. I had thought, with the glare she sent me when I had asked if she couldn't have kids, that she was going to shock me with her Widow's Bite to knock me out.

In the morning, the Avengers rushed around, getting ready to depart on the QuinJet to Dr. Foster's lab. They hadn't been able to communicate with her. I just sat there in front of my untouched bowl of cereal, waiting for them to tell me what to do. I was a mutant; they could use me in the battle again. My head was still hurting, but I lied to them and told them it was okay. It was a little better than last night, so I guess it wasn't a complete lie.

"Laura, could you take care of Holly for a few days?" I heard Clint ask. My head snapped around, and I was on my feet.

"No. I'm a target. More than that, I'm a mutant that can't control what I do. I'm not going to put your family in danger," I half-shouted, angry. I couldn't be responsible for anyone else getting hurt because of me.

Fury surveyed me with interest. "She's right, Barton. Good idea, but could have a bad outcome. Best case scenario is that she either stays with you guys or comes to the helicarrier with me."

"We can't take a kid onto the field," Clint argued.

"You did and I saved your asses in Africa," I argued. I hoped they wouldn't notice the tremors in my hands.

"Holls. That was an exception. We're not going to do that when there's a better option. Nope, you're going with Fury," Tony said with finality. He turned to Fury. "She should probably be seen by a doctor on the helicarrier, too," Tony said. "An extended stay in the infirmary wouldn't be a bad idea."

"What? No!" I shouted. "I'm fine. I promise. I'm not hurt. I'm fine!"

"Liar," Natasha said easily. "You were just tortured for a week, have a concussion, and you couldn't bend down and touch your toes right now without ripping your back open. You look like shit. You need to be treated. Deal with it."

"Kid, look at me." Tony's face was blurry, even though I tried to focus. He held out two gold bangles. "These are for you. If you're in any danger, your suit will automatically come to you."

I took them and put them on. They had an 'A' engraved in one and 'STARK' engraved in the other.

"Wait- you finished my suit without me?" I asked crossly, folding my arms. I knew that I was acting like a child and not helping my case, but I was mad. This was something that we were supposed to do together. "Well, whatever. I have a suit. So why can't I come?" Great, I was whining now. Definitely not helping my case.

He looked at me. I saw how weary he was."You're tired. You did good yesterday. But it's time to rest. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," I said, giving up. The tiredness in his eyes scared me.

He and the rest of the Avengers hugged me before getting on their QuinJet. They could tell I was pissed.

"Check out the vents on the helicarrier- they're awesome!" Clint said to me before Laura thumped him.

"Rest up, kid," said Bruce. "Make sure that you eat."

"Be safe. Don't do anything stupid," Natasha told me.

Steve, the team leader, knelt down so he and I were eye level. "One day, if you want, you will join us. But right now, this isn't your battle. Sometimes, you have to stay back and rest so you can live to fight another day."

I nodded, trying not to tear up. God, this concussion was making me so slow and stupid and emotional. The emotional trainwreck was enough to make me stick a knife in Douschepool's arm next time I saw him. Jerk. But I couldn't hate him- he helped get me out of there.

I followed Fury onto the other QuinJet and almost lost my balance as it took off. Fury wasn't piloting it; autopilot, maybe?

I was broken out of my thoughts as we sat down in opposite chairs and I realized that he was staring at me- no, he was surveying me like a collector would. "What?" I asked, annoyed.

"You're not like I thought you'd be," he said eventually. "You're smart, but you're not shove it in your face smart like your dad is. You don't have an ego."

"I have a concussion. Talk to me in a week, I'll be back to normal," I said snarkily.

"Hm. There it is." He was silent for a few minutes. "I need to know what happened in the Red Room, Holly," he said. "If you want to wait for your father to be here, that's fine, but_"

"They turned me into a mutant," I snapped, cutting him off. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Fury was infuriatingly calm. "I knew that they were trying to."

"Well, they succeeded. Happy now? You've got another SHIELD agent for your team."

"Hardly. We don't take unwilling agents. Or underage agents."

"I know the laws regarding mutants. I don't have any rights. Minor-oriented laws no longer apply to me. Technically, just due to my mutant status, I could be imprisoned. What else is left for me, besides joining SHIELD?"

"As far as the United States' government is concerned, you're classified as a human."

I looked up at him. "You're not reporting this. That's breaking the law."

"Since when do you Starks care about breaking the law?"

"I break the rules. My dad breaks the laws."

"And which rules are you going to break today, Stark?"

"None. I'm tired."

"You and I both know that's bullshit. Now let's cut the crap and be honest with each other."

I laughed hollowly. "Normally, you'd be right, and I'd be plotting my escape, involving, but not limited to, hijacking this QuinJet. But my head hurts too bad to think of a plan, Captain Hook. Just don't let Hydra take me again, okay?"

"Deal." Fury was silent. "We've got a few hours ahead of us. I'm going to break a few more rules. I want to give you a test."

 **I still have no idea about an update schedule, but I can promise at least one update a week. I hope you all are enjoying this chapter, and if you have any** **constructive** **feedback for me about my writing or where you'd like to see this story go, I'd love to see it in a review or a PM. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	13. The Strategist: Part One

I rolled my eyes. "Patch, I've already graduated high school. You and I both know you have access to all of my files. Just read that and save me the trouble of writing _another_ damn test. I'm sick of it. They're all easy."

"This test won't be easy, because this test isn't going to measure your intelligence. It's going to measure something that you haven't learned yet- something that most agents of SHIELD don't learn. Something that no one, short of maybe Captain America, could even do well at. Including your dad."

I was a little intrigued. Something I haven't learned yet? Something Tony Stark couldn't do well at? "What sort of test?"

He handed me a controller for an Xbox 360.

"You want me to play a video game for you?" I asked, disgusted. That was going to make my head feel great.

"This is a game that'll test your strategic ability. And I have a do well, here's where I break the rules- I'll show you the command room and you'll be able to see the Avengers' mission today, and you won't go to the infirmary like your dad requested. I want to see how good of a strategist you are, Stark."

"Why?" he was silent. "You were the one that said that we shouldn't lie to each other," I prompted.

"Because for the first time- we just got a satellite up, thanks to your dad- we have eyes on our agents at all times in major missions. The covert ones, obviously we won't be able to direct, but in firefights, so many accidents could be avoided during if someone with a brain had eyes on them and directed them in the best course of action. We've got a team put together, and they're okay, but when it comes down to it, they aren't geniuses, and you are. I think, with training, that person directing missions could be you." His eye was looking at me intently. It was creeping me out.

"You're the director of SHIELD. Shouldn't _you_ be directing them? Besides, I'm a mutant and my hand to hand combat skills are pretty good. I'd be more useful in the field. That's where I want to be."

"You know there are other ways to help SHIELD than being in the field, right? What I'm talking about with strategic planning, for one. Helping guide our agents through tough situations. Even military coups. Then there's also intelligence gathering, or you could use your mechanical skills to help with our tech_"

"No. I want to be in the field. I want to be an Avenger." The declaration surprised me. But it was true.

"Not for a couple of years yet, short stuff. You're gonna need years of training before I could even consider you being put in the field. You've got a lot to learn. In the meantime, let's see you play this game. And take these- they're going to dull the pain of that headache you've been trying to hide, but it'll keep your mind sharp." He held out two pills. Without hesitating, I dry swallowed them.

Woah. A few seconds later, my vision cleared, my head and back stopped hurting completely, and my mind was sharp.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "Can I get a stock of this stuff?"

Fury ignored me and said, "I have seen your file, Stark. I have looked at your test results. And I can tell you this- even though experience wise, you're lacking, I don't think there's more than a handful of people on this planet who think faster or better than you." He clicked a remote. The title screen of Halo Wars lit up on a monitor.

"This is rated T for teen. I'm not old enough to play this yet."

"Shut up and play the damn game, Stark."

I grinned at him. I knew that he was lying to me. No one in their right mind would let a kid command a real mission. I hadn't had any real experience with video games, so the joke was on him. Even if I was a good strategist, my inexperience with the controls would probably make me look stupid, anyway. He just wanted to give me something to do on the flight.

I put down the controller. The controls were basic and easy; the game was fun, the mission was straightforward. You got to command squadrons of Spartans, ODSTs, and Marines to accomplish whatever mission they threw at you. "Is that it?" I asked Fury, crestfallen as the credits rolled. "That was fun. Is there a sequel? Or a harder setting?"

Fury stared. "That was the first time you touched the game, right?"

"I mean, yeah, I've never owned a video game before." I shrugged. "It was pretty easy once you I got the hang of it."

"You beat the game on the hardest setting in forty-three minutes and twenty seconds. The previous record was about twenty minutes longer than that," Fury explained.

I shot him a snarky grin. "Not everyone can be a genius, Fury. Your brilliant plan to distract me until we got there didn't really work, did it?"

"The plan was to see how good you were at strategy. We agreed not to lie to each other. I do want to train you in strategy, and you will be able to oversee the Avenger's mission today once they start it. Your dad's satellites are incredible. But, Stark?. That was a game; that isn't real life, which unfortunately, is suckier, and you can't just respawn items; there's a limited amount of resources… you've got a ways to go still as a strategist. Don't get cocky. We'll be at the helicarrier in about an hour; I want to show you the command room, once we're there. But first, some rules of warfare. Stark, If you want a career with SHIELD, these are laws that you _cannot_ break."

He tapped a few things on a tablet, and the screen changed.

 **Customary Rules of International Humanitarian Law**

"Read this. Memorize it. Apply it."

I scanned the list. "Aren't these things just common sense?"

Fury chuckled. "You would think, Stark. But unfortunately, sometimes people don't use sound judgement in achieving their goals."

I settled in and worked on memorizing them.

The helicarrier was huge.

Actually, huge was a horrible adjective to use to describe it. The thing was gigantic. Massive. And it floated! Well, flew. But still.

"Your dad helped design it," Fury said proudly. "One of the reasons why we put up with things like him building murder bots. He's useful sometimes."

"Do you really think they can stop Ultron?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. "If he gets a body of vibranium…"

"If they can't, nobody can," Fury said as we walked off the QuinJet into the bay. "Earth's mightiest heroes and all that." I fell into step behind him as we made our way to the top deck. It was entertaining- in the lower decks, where the techs and maintenance people worked, everyone was interested in Fury. But by the time we finally reached the top deck of the helicarrier, no one was interested in Fury anymore- here, everyone had status, so it was me that they were all staring at. I put on my best nonchalant 'Tony Stark' face.

We stopped walking when we reached a tall woman with brown hair, brown eyes, and a cold expression on the very top of the helicarrier.

"Holly, this is Maria Hill, Deputy Director of SHIELD. Deputy Hill, this is Holly Stark."

"Nice to meet you," said the woman, trying to crush my hand in a death grip handshake.. "This is the kid that HYDRA kidnapped? Tony Stark's daughter?"

"Yep," I answered, trying to sound cheerful. She seemed strict, and she kind of scared me. "Nice to meet you, too."

She looked at me curiously. She probably guessed I was a mutant. Oh, well. I supposed I had better get used to being considered as something less than human. "Welcome to SHIELD, Ms. Stark."

Fury was seemingly bored of the niceties. "Okay, now that we're all acquainted, let's talk what we know."

"We don't know much, yet. Captain Rogers hasn't reported back."

"Well, when he does, notify me. I'm going to take Stark on a tour."

"Bye," I told Maria Hill.

Fury led me back down below deck. I was trying to keep up. I was still tired, shaky, and sore, despite the pills he had given me. I think I needed a few more. "You aren't going to take me to the infirmary, right?" I asked, suspicious.

"Well, I should. You were hurt pretty bad. But I don't feel like having to waste a SHIELD agent to guard the door so you couldn't sneak out, especially since you're feeling better with those pills."

I grinned shamelessly.

He took a sharp left and we ended up in an unassuming corridor. "These are the agents' quarters. This is your room on the helicarrier, Stark. The rest of the Avengers' rooms are just down the hall. We sort of figured you may be spending a decent amount of time here, so we stocked it with clothes and assigned it to you. It'll only open to your dad's and your fingerprint, unless either of you program otherwise. There's a lab connected. Go on in. Check it out. Try not to create anything that could destroy the world."

I walked into the room. It was a small room, grey walls, grey floor, a bunk built into the wall, a chest of drawers opposite it. The door to the workshop was next to the chest of drawers. I was itching to check it out; I hadn't had access to tech in so long. "Thank you," I told him genuinely.

"Your dad complained about the size," he chuckled. "There's some of your clothes in the drawers if you want to change into something more… professional looking. Meet me on the top deck in a half hour. I need to have a word with Deputy Hill."

I nodded, closed the door, and opened the chest of drawers. In it were a few black t-shirts, a black belt, black combat pants, and black button ups that had a flexible give. It was a lot like what the SHIELD agents were wearing above deck. I grinned. So official. In the bottom drawer were socks and black combat boots. I dressed quickly. The clothes were baggier than I would have liked, remembering Natasha's warning about baggy clothes, but they were good enough. I had to make an extra hole for the belt, but I was used to it by now. I liked how on the breast pocket of the shirt, 'STARK' was embroidered. I didn't think Tony would appreciate it, since he didn't seem to like SHIELD too much, but it made me feel more useful. They were the ones risking their lives right now while I was safe on the helicarrier.

I put the borrowed clothes from the Bartons in the chest of drawers before turning to the workshop door. There was a retina scan to unlock it. I grinned- I was worried he'd have a code, too.

Hesitantly, I stepped through the door. Last time I was the workshop without my dad, I had been kidnapped.

It was set up similarly to the workshop in Stark Tower; junk everywhere, and two work benches- one for my father, and one for me. Next to mine was my suit, completely assembled. "Jarvis?" I called out. No answer. Well, that was interesting. Maybe Jarvis was too busy with whatever my dad was doing right now.

I went over to my suit. It looked similar to the Iron Man suit, but was obviously smaller, and instead of being hotrod red and gold, it was green and blue. I would have to talk to Tony about changing the color scheme; not that I didn't like it, but I wanted something a little less flashy.

It was too bad I wouldn't be able to operate it anytime soon, unless my life was in danger. That was a bit of a shame. What was even more depressing was that even if the suit was called to me, then I wouldn't be able to do anything but sit there as it piloted me to a safe house. Probably the Bartons, which would put them in danger…

I furrowed my brow. I knew, that with my computer skills, I could hack the suit- probably hack it so it could be called to me any time that I wanted it to, and make it so that I could operate it, but that would take me longer than the half hour that Fury had allotted me. If he came looking for me and saw my suit in pieces, he'd probably yell. I didn't care so much about the yelling, but I wanted to be on his good side so that when this was over, he wouldn't report my mutant status.

My head throbbed as I tried to think. I didn't want to change the setting so that the suit would be called to me if my life was in danger- that would take too long, it would probably make my dad pretty angry, since he was so confident that this would keep my safe, and it was actually a pretty useful setting. But if my suit was called to me, I didn't want it to just take me away. I wanted to be able to make a stand and fight whatever the threat was.

Hacking Nova. That wouldn't take more than a half hour, and even if Fury did come looking for me, he wouldn't be able to get into the workshop.

Twenty minutes later, I shoved Nova's interface chip back into the helmet. I was pretty sure it still worked. Like 98%. Okay, so maybe I was more like 95% sure, but still. I was confident that I would now be able to at least pilot the suit; that was something.

Time to go find Fury and force him to make good on his promise of letting me watch the Avengers try to stop Ultron.

" _Great. Another loose cannon. You know how much I like the Avengers Initiative in the first place. Why did you bring her here, Fury?"_

" _Because she_ could _be a loose cannon. Later, when she's full-grown and not as controllable."_

" _So you brought her here to manipulate her and turn her into a tool for SHIELD?"_

" _No, I brought her here to prevent her from becoming an international threat."_

" _She's what, ten? Eleven? Come on, Fury. She is the farthest thing from a threat."_

" _Twelve, actually. Hill, she's a mutant, she's a genius, and worst of all, she is a Stark. She's got access to resources. We can't just lock her up because she's a mutant- the Avengers would protect her and turn against us. Either we get her to become one of us, meaning we make her feel like she's doing important work for us, or we let her go rogue until she's an adult and can make her own decision. It may not be the one we like."_

" _So we manipulate her into joining us. Wow. A twelve-year-old. This is a new low, even for you, Fury. You know that Tony is going to kill you."_

" _I don't see another option."_


	14. The Strategist:Part Two

I met Fury in the hallway. It looked like he had just been coming to get me. Oops. "Ready, sir," I said in my most professional voice.

"Really, Stark? No 'Patchy'? Or 'Captain Hook'? What do you want?" He asked, sounding exasperated.

"Just to help with strategy."

"Mhm."

I shot him the grin that always worked on the Avengers to get what I wanted. "And to join SHIELD." Now."

I waited with baited breath for what he was going to say. Part of me was worried that he would say no, that he would say what I knew- I was too damaged. That the Red Room and the abuse from my mom and stepdad had wrecked me permanently. That I would be a monster, like my stepdad, the type that hurt people because they could.

 _But I'm not like that. I don't hurt people intentionally. But maybe that's because I've never had the power before._

Was I a monster?

My attention snapped to Fury as he began speaking. Right, I had asked him a question.

"You're gonna need your dad's permission. Officially, you're a human, and you're a minor. But tell you what; I'll let you join right now on one condition. What does SHIELD stand for?"

"Super…Human…Intelligence…Eating…Lemondrops…Daily?" My mind raced. I realized that I hadn't known SHIELD was an acronym.

Fury's eye practically popped out of his head as he blankly stared at me.

"I'm right?"

"No, I just didn't think a Stark would ever say something that stupid."

"Shut up, Patchy. So, I still watch the mission, right? Where's the command room?"

Fury showed me the infirmary, Bruce's lab (much less impressive than the workshop) and the mess hall before he lead me to the command room, or as he called it, The Hub. It was in the middle of the helicarrier, hence the nickname. There were just a bunch of monitors in it, showing showing blank screens. There were some agents sitting in front of them, waiting intently, but most were empty. There was also a huge monitor in the center of the room.

"What about hackers?" I asked. "They could show you something that isn't actually happening.

"Well, your dad designed it, so as you know, it'd be pretty hard to hack into."

I snorted, but didn't tell Fury about my own hacking skills. Some secrets could come in handy later, and I didn't want him to suspect that I messed with Nova.

To be honest, I didn't think it was very impressive; just a bunch of people staring at monitors. I huffed. "So, when is this thing actually going to start?" I asked Hill and Fury impatiently. A huge monitor in the middle of the room showed a Quinjet, which I assumed Nat, Steve, and Clint were on.

"Well, in about five minutes, Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff are going to go and steal the cradle containing the mind stone from the scepter and Ultron's body and get it to Stark and Banner_"

The mind stone. One of the Infinity Stones that Thor talked about. I don't know what was scarier; the power of the mind stone that Ultron could unleash, or that I actually remembered something from Thor's boring Asgard lessons.

"Woah, back up. So I take it that Foster, either willingly or unwillingly, started making Ultron a body? And the mind stone from the scepter is gonna be in a vibranium body- oh, man. That'll give Ultron hella power."

"God, she's such a millennial," Hill muttered. I ignored her.

"And now, Steve, Nat, and Clint are going to go get the cradle containing Ultron's new body and the mind stone that could probably blow everything up in this unstable state?"

"Correct."

I looked at the two adults in disbelief. This didn't even sound real. When the hell did this become my life?

I couldn't complain. It was way better than my old one in Tempe. "Which one's my monitor?"

Fury pointed to the one next to the huge screen in the middle of the room.

"Can I have another one of those pills?" I asked.

He sighed and gave me one before saying, "No one is allowed to give feedback unless the Avengers ask; Natasha's threatened most of the people in here. Your mic isn't even set up to speak. But you won't be saying anything, anyway; just listen and learn."

I took the pill and put on my headset as my mind sharpened and the pain went away. After a few minutes, I heard Dr. Foster's voice clearly, but my monitor showed Nat and Clint on the QuinJet and I couldn't see where Steve was. That was stupid.

I glanced around. Fury was busy watching the main monitor, muttering with Hill about strategies to protect the citizens. I grinned. No one was paying attention to me, and besides, Fury hadn't said I couldn't touch anything...

I experimentally typed some commands in, and a few minutes later I was rewarded with an awesome view of the entire city, with a purple, blue, and black dot of light representing Clint, Steve, and Natasha respectively. Much better. It looked like Steve was in Dr. Foster's lab, and after a few more moments experimenting, I was able to hack into the Avengers' comm-link so I could speak. I was going to have to explain later how to close up that security gap- what if HYDRA cut in sometime? Granted, I could potentially be the second greatest hacker in the universe, only behind my father.

"The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem... its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark," Dr. Foster gasped. She must be nearby and talking to Steve, because I could hear her, but not well.

The comm-link echoed both in my headset and in the command room. Crap, that wasn't supposed to happen as a side effect of activating my mic. Fury and Hill whipped around to look at me. The other SHIELD personnel in the room followed their gazes. I waved.

"First, I have to find it." That was Steve's voice. "You guys copy that?"

"Yeah," said Clint.

"I got a private jet taking off across town. No manifest. That could be him," Clint said.

"No one say anything!" Fury yelled. "Stark, whatever you did_"

I ignored Fury and smirked as my eyes scanned the city. I grinned and flipped a switch so Clint's monitor in the QuinJet showed what I was seeing. "There. It's a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. You got three with the Cradle, one in the cab."

"Holly?" Three voices echoed.

"Hey, guys," I said into my headset as Fury made slashing motions to try to get me to shut up. "Holly here."

"Holly, you should be in the infirmary!"

"I'm fine, Cap." I rolled my eyes. It wasn't like I was in the field. "I'm on the helicarrier, in the command room, Fury brought me here to make use of my genius." I omitted the part where Fury had said that I wasn't supposed to talk. "The doctors here said I'm completely okay," I lied. "My concussion is just a small one, it's fine." Man, I hoped they never found out about these lies. If it weren't for these pills, it'd probably feel like my skull was cracking in two.

Steve sighed. "Okay. We could use an extra pair of eyes. The objective is to grab that cradle and get it to your dad."

I smirked as Fury gaped at my lie and then Steve's reaction, but he fixed me with his one-eyed stare and said"Keep going. Everyone else, shut up. This is Holly's mission."

"What?" Hill exclaimed. "She_"

I turned up my headset so I could no longer hear her and turned my attention back to the mission.

"I'm right- check out the truck!" I said.

"Good eye, Holly," Steve praised.

"I could take out the driver," Clint suggested.

"Bad idea! That is a very bad idea!" I shouted. "That's the mind stone. If you take out the driver and the truck crashes, then it's gonna blow the city."

"I'm going in," Steve said, and I saw the blue figure jump onto the truck. This satellite picture was actually kinda cool. Too bad it was in 2D and not 3D. The blue figure went into the truck, but I could still see the glow from the light, although I couldn't see inside the truck. A minute later, I heard Steve yell, "Well, he's definitely unhappy! I'm gonna try to keep him that way!"

"You're not a match for him, Cap," said Clint grimly.

"Thanks, Barton. Holly, you got eyes on us? Get ready to direct Clint when to drop Natasha and the bike."

"Yep, I got you."

"What, you think I can't drop Nat?" Clint asked indignantly.

"I think that Holly can see stuff we can't. Listen to her."

"Fair enough."

I grinned in pride and watched Clint drive the QuinJet closer to the ground. Cap's shield flew from the back of the truck; this wasn't good…

"Okay, you have a window!" I shouted as my mind raced to analyze traffic patterns. "Three, two, one- NOW!"

I smiled in satisfaction as Natasha dropped down from the Quinjet, riding a motorcycle. That was a pretty cool move.

"I'm always picking up after you boys," she grumbled as she grabbed Cap's shield in a smooth motion, zooming towards the truck.

"Shit! Nat, truck!"

I watched in complete awe as Natasha leaned sixty degrees and completely slid under the semi that I thought was going to flatten her.

Fury tapped me. I temporarily turned down my headset. "They're top trained SHIELD agents- they can handle themselves- your job is to give them info that they can't see. Nat could see that truck."

I nodded- weird, Fury had actually given me useful advice- and turned my headset back on as Clint was saying, "They're headed under the overpass, I got no shot_"

Natasha had just caught up to the truck and threw Steve his shield. He was now battling Ultron on the top of the truck. That damn shield defied all laws of physics. But now the Ultron Sentries,which I now realized were in the back of the truck, were shooting at Nat. Then Ultron broke a section of highway, causing Natasha to make almost a complete stop to avoid crashing. She'd never catch up with the truck now, especially with the Ultron Sentries on patrol. I immediately realized that problem, zoomed out, and saw the solution. "Nat, take a hard right- NOW!" I said. "You'll be able to catch up and cut 'em off if you drive that way."

She veered off the road and skillfully drove through the crowd of pedestrians.

I knew that I had been focusing way too much on Natasha's viewpoint and quickly changed my viewpoint back to Steve to check on him and Ultron. As I hated to admit it, Clint was right; Steve wasn't anything close to being a match for Ultron. If Captain America couldn't hold a candle to Ultron… who could?

I knew the answer. All of us. Together.

I had to keep myself from yelling as Ultron blasted Steve off of the truck. He crash landed on a car behind him, luckily, instead of the highway. But then Ultron used his power to rip up another section of highway, causing the car that Steve had landed on to flip over. I don't know how, but somehow Steve managed to avoid being crushed and jumped back onto the top of the truck that Ultron was on. I was gonna have to ask him to teach me that move.

My brain raced as I tried to formulate a plan. Nat would never be able to hijack the truck if the guards were still on it. There was a way, it was crazy, and I'd be using Clint and the Quinjet as bait, but it was a way… "I've got an idea. Cap, can you keep him occupied a bit longer?"

"What do you think I've been doing?" Steve yelled back.

"Good. Okay, Clint, you've got to draw the guards out from the truck- shoot at Ultron, become a threat. Nat, can you get into there if Clint gets the guards out?"

"On it!" They both said.

I watched as they both got closer to the target. "Okay, Clint- GO!"

I grinned in elation as I saw Clint shoot at Ultron and the Ultron Sentries following the QuinJet. Okay, so far so good. My grin got bigger when I saw Steve throw Ultron into a pillar. "Nat, you're good to get on."

I flinched as Ultron came back, tackled Steve, and they flew in through the window of the subway train. But Nat successfully had gained entry to the truck, and Steve was still going strong fighting Ultron.

My plan was working.

I wasn't stupid- I didn't think I was that great of a strategist or anything. It was Nat, Clint, and Steve's skills that made what I was trying to get them to do possible. If I was going to be a SHIELD strategist, I would need a lot more training. But I didn't really like this- watching them safely in the command room while they put themselves in danger. I shook my head, trying to focus. Now was not the time to think about career aspirations.

My elation over tricking the Ultron Sentries out of the truck was short lived as seconds later I was yelling "Oh, FUCK!" as the they came back after realizing that Clint had tricked them and launched themselves under the truck. I zoomed in to focus on the truck and the truck only- Steve would have to handle Ultron by himself so I could focus on getting Nat and the cradle to safety.

Clint couldn't see what I could. He just knew the Ultron Sentries was no longer attacking the QuinJet. "The guards are back, Nat, whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" Clint yelled.

Time to change the plan of Nat just simply hijacking the truck. I knew they were going to use the repulsors to go airborne- they wouldn't blow it up with the cradle inside, and they weren't going to escape the Avengers by staying grounded.

I felt a pang of regret as I realized that the cab of the truck was going to cause an accident- there were a section of police cars trying to block off the truck. What was happening would hurt even more innocent people. I hadn't been following the rules of warfare very well so far, but Fury hadn't stopped me. I had to focus on the objective.

Okay. I had a new plan. This was going to be a shot in the dark, but it's the only one I could see salvaging the mission. "Nat, you're going airborne, stay on your feet!"

I watched as the bed of the truck went airborne. If I wasn't so stressed, it would actually be kind of entertaining to see this truck bed flying through the air.

"Okay, Clint, get ready to take the cradle- you're not going to have a very big window here. Get as close to the truck as you safely can! Nat, when I say 'go', you're gonna shove the cradle out the back of the truck and then jump on!"

"WHAT?" Came three voices at once.

"Trust me! It's the only way!"

I watched as the truck raised into the air and got closer and closer to the QuinJet. My mind raced with adrenaline. "Ten seconds… five… three… two…NOW!"

I leaned back as I watched Natasha and the cradle fly perfectly into the back of the QuinJet. I sighed in relief.

Looking around, I realized that no one was paying attention to their monitors; they had all been watching mine, which was now somehow mirrored on the big screen. Maria Hill had her mouth wide open. "What the… you're a kid…how…"

"WIDOW!" Fury yelled, and my attention was immediately back to my screen. An Ultron Sentry had yanked Natasha off the cradle and out of the QuinJet.

But Clint had the cradle safely in the QuinJet. The objective was accomplished.

"Nat? Does anyone have eyes on Nat?" Clint yelled. I froze, searching desperately for the black illuminated figure.

"If you have the cradle, get it to Stark! Go!" yelled Cap.

"Does anybody have eyes on Nat!"

"I do, you're good- get it to my dad! Go!" I felt a pang of regret, but I would be able to find Natasha- we had to accomplish the mission, and Clint had to get out of here!

Clint went.

Steve spoke privately to me. "I know that you lied, Holly, but Nat will be fine- and we kind of have a situation here, we need you! I lost Ultron, and this train is out of control!"

I swore at myself for not following the entire battle and flipped back to Cap's view.

I noticed red energy. "STEVE! Scarlet Witch_"

"They're here to help! I just gave them a comm-link. Direct them! Now! What do we need to do to stop this train?"

I quickly tagged them- red for Wanda, silver for Pietro- zoomed out and saw the uncontrollable speeding train. "Pietro- civilians in the path! Get them out!" I glanced at what was surrounding the train, what we could do to stop it. "Wanda; use your powers to create more friction with the wheels to stop this thing, but don't do it automatically or you'll all go flying through the front. Steve, get to the front and put your shield in front of your face, then brace yourself- it'll create a hard point and let the rubble taper off so it doesn't smash the train or hit the civilians. Go! Go!"

My adrenaline was wearing off. I didn't stop to see if the plan worked; I knew it would.

Desperately, I searched for Natasha or Ultron. "Shit. Ultron has her," I muttered. Even though I hadn't seen Ultron take Natasha, I knew that he did. I slammed my fists down on the desktop. "Shit, shit, SHIT!"

"You accomplished the mission, Holly," Fury said. "Now_"

"Damn it! Fuck!" I threw off my headset; it clattered across the floor and broke. "Son of a bitch!"

I had lost Natasha. Ultron had her. _I'm a monster. My mom and stepdad were right. I hurt people around me. I ruin everything._

"For fuck's sake!" I screamed as my head felt like it was splitting open.

"STARK! Snap out of it!" Fury grabbed the tops of my arms and yelled in my face. For a minute, I was back in Tempe, and that was enough to stun me for a second as I fought back the fear.

"I lost Natasha, I lost her_"

"Yes. But you also completed the objective. You helped save the world today, Stark."

"Nat was captured!"

"You achieved the mission, Stark."

"No, Fury. I failed." I was on the verge of collapsing. Whatever edge the pills had given me was gone, I felt nauseous with fear, and the room was getting blurry. "I feel sick," I whispered, even as my mind raced to formulate a plan. Natasha was captured. It was my fault.


	15. An Outbreak of Stupid Decisions

Steve was relieved that the train had stopped, but listened regretfully to Holly panicking over Natasha being missing, cringing slightly as she yelled.

"Damn it! Fuck!" She screamed, her voice ripping through octaves. Holly didn't know what Steve did- that Romanoff would be fine. She was one of the best. There was a cracking sound, and then the line went dead. In this moment, Steve felt older than his ninety plus years. Holly Stark was too young to have been through so much- Tempe, the Red Room, and then fighting in battles where she had no place. His fault for letting her. He would tell Barton the truth for her, that Natasha had been captured. At least the cradle would be taken care of.

In the meantime, he had to deal with the Maximoff twins. He turned to them. Wanda had her hand on Pietro's back; he was panting, leaning over.

"I'm good," Pietro gasped to his sister. "Just give me a minute."

"I'm very tempted not to give you one," Steve snapped, striding over. He felt awful at the way he was acting- they didn't look older than eighteen- but they had tried to kill him and his friends. One good deed- switching sides in a dire situation- didn't make up for that. Not even close.

"The cradle. Did you get it?" the Maximoff girl- Wanda- asked.

Steve nodded. "Stark will take care of it."

Wanda looked indignant. "No, he won't. He'll do anything to make things right. Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that from?"

Even though Steve hated to admit it, he knew that she was right. "Stark! Come in! Anyone on comms?" The answer to his inquiry was dead air.

Steve said a four letter word and a mental note to put a dollar in the swear jar.

Clint had gotten back to the tower, bringing the cradle, but also news to Tony and Bruce that Natasha had been captured.

"She's alive, or Ultron would be rubbing our faces in it," Tony assured Clint. He went to check out the cradle. "This is sealed tight. We're gonna need to access the program, break it down from within." Turning back to Clint, he asked "Any chance Natasha might leave you a note outside the internet? Old school spy stuff?"

Clint looked thoughtful. "Yeah, there's some nets I can cast. I'll find her." He left the room, leaving Tony and Bruce to work on the cradle.

As soon as he left, Bruce got down to business. "I can work on tissue degeneration, if you can fry whatever operational system Foster implanted," he suggested. "I'm glad she's okay. Thor will be happy."

Tony grimaced. Time to work his magic and convince Bruce that he was right. "Um, yeah, about trying the system…"

Bruce turned to Tony, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "No."

Tony spread out his arms. "You gotta trust me."

Bruce shrugged and shook his head. "Kinda don't."

Tony sighed. That hurt, one of his best friends not trusting him. Time to make the magic. "Our guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? Found him." Tony flipped a remote and Jarvis's consciousness showed up.

"Hello, Dr. Banner," Jarvis said pleasantly.

With a smirk, Tony began his explanation. "Ultron didn't go after Jarvis cause he was angry. He attacked him because he was _scared_ of what he can do. So Jarvis went underground. Okay? Scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there, until I pieced him together."

"So, you want me to help you put Jarvis into this thing?" Bruce said, sounding exasperated as he gestured to the cradle.

Tony gave a nervous laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "No, of course not! _I_ want to help _you_ put Jarvis in this thing." He put his hand on Bruce's shoulder. "We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone."

Bruce shook his head. "And you just assume that Jarvis'' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?

Tony gave a real grin, proud of his AI; no, not just his AI, his friend. "Jarvis has been beating him from inside without knowing it. This is the opportunity, we can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to. It's the only thing that can beat Ultron at this point."

"I believe it's worth a go," Jarvis interjected.

Bruce began to pace. "No, I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong."

"I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. You gotta own it. Make a stand. It's not a loop. It's the end of the line. We can retire after this."

Bruce just shook his head, then stared up at the ceiling for a long moment. "Okay. I'll start working on the genetic code for Jarvis. I hope you know what you're doing, Tony."

After a while, Tony ran his hand over his face. "The framework isn't compatible," he said grimly.

"The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes," Bruce said, stressed.

"I'm gonna say this once."

Although Bruce jumped at Spangles' voice, Tony rolled his eyes, groaned, and turned to face Steve and- surprisingly- the Maximoff twins. "How about "nonce"?" he snapped at him.

"Shut it down!" Steve yelled.

"Nope, not gonna happen," Tony said, shoving Jarvis' chip into the cradle.

"You don't know what you're doing_"

"And you do? She's not in your head?" Asked Bruce, glaring at Wanda.

Wanda took a deep breath. "I know you're angry_"

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade," Bruce snarled.

Steve took a step forward. "Banner, after everything that's happened_"

Tony also took a step forward so that there was maybe a foot between him and Steve. "That's nothing compared to what's coming!"

"You don't know what's in there!" Wanda exclaimed. "The creature_"

Tony felt fury well up as Pietro used his enhanced speed to run around the room and unplug the cradle.

"No, no. Go on. You were saying?" he asked, cocky before a bullet shot the glass floor and he fell.

"Pietro!" Wanda yelled out in shock before Bruce had her in a headlock.

Clint smirked. "What? You didn't see that coming?" he called to Pietro.

"Go ahead, piss me off," Bruce growled to Wanda.

Tony felt like cheering, but of course Odinson, the king of dramatic entries, decided to make his appearance for the first time since arriving at the Barton's safehouse.

Thor slammed his hammer into the cradle, and electrical energy shot through it, overloading the servers. Smoke poured out of the cradle, and then… a blue and red colored humanoid figure rose out of it, with the stone from the scepter in the middle of its forehead.

It dove at Thor, who promptly threw it through the glass wall. Tony cringed. He really wished the Avengers would stop breaking his tower.

Bracing for a fight, the Avengers all tensed, ready to spring, but Thor snapped, "Wait."

The humanoid figure paused and turned towards the Avengers. I'm sorry, that was...odd." He turned to Thor. "Thank you." Tony grinned. It sounded like Jarvis! He had succeeded! Well, maybe. They'd know if it started trying to kill them.

The humanoid checked out Thor's cape and then emulated it.

"Thor, you helped create this?" Steve asked, sounding disgusted.

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at it's center is that," He explained as he pointed at the mind stone, which was set in the middle of the… thing's... head.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked.

"It's the mind stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

Steve bristled. "Then why would you bring it to_"

"Because Stark is right," Thor interrupted.

Tony grinned. About time someone admitted it.

Bruce groaned. "Oh, it's definitely the end times."

Tony threw a pouty look at Bruce.

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron," Thor boomed.

"No, not alone," the Vision stated.

Steve shook his head, looking more confused. "Why does your "vision" sound like Jarvis?

"We...we reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new," Tony explained.

"I think I've had my fill of new," Steve griped.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" the thing asked.

"You're not?" asked Steve.

"I'm not Ultron. I'm not Jarvis. I am...Vision."

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation," Wanda accused, stepping forward.

"Look again," Vision offered politely.

Clint sneered. "Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me."

"Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the mind stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…" Thor trailed off, looking curiously at Vision.

"Is it? Are you? On our side? Steve demanded.

Vision shook his head. "I don't think it's that simple," he said, striding forward.

"Well, it better get real simple real soon," Clint threatened.

"I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Tony asked, trying to grasp some level of control over the system. He couldn't believe he had actually succeeded.

Vision leveled him with a stare. "You."

"Where?" Bruce demanded.

Clint was the one that answered the question. "Sokovia. He's got Nat there too."

Bruce held up his hand. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be_"

"What will you do?" Tony saw Vision's face come to the understanding that the Avengers would annihilate him. Vision sighed and walked toward the window he had flown through. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go," he stated firmly as he picked up Thor's hammer and handed it to him.

"Oh, man, you've got to be kidding!" Tony burst out. The number of times he'd been drinking with these guys, and they'd all tried to be 'worthy' enough to pick up the stupid hammer- and an AI that he himself created could pick it up? Where was the justice?

Thor smirked. "Right." He patted Tony on the shoulder. "Well done."

Steve turned to the others. "Three minutes. Get what you need."

Tony turned to his workbench. They had work to do . He could gloat later. Finding what he was looking for, he inserted a new AI into his suit. Friday.

"Good evening, boss," came the pleasant, yet sassy voice over his comm.

"Try to contact Holly," he told Friday quietly before addressing the Avengers.

"No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor," Tony told the team grimly. He still felt stricken with guilt. This was his fault.

Steve grinned. "I got no plans tomorrow night."

"I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for."

"That's true, he hates you the most." Tony stared disbelievingly at Vision's back as he walked past.

Fury deposited me in the infirmary. "Wait for the doctor; he'll be here soon. I need to get in contact with Captain Rogers."

I nodded, trying not to look sick. It was hard. I realized that the pills had clearly worn off, but the adrenaline from the battle kept me awake, made me feel better, made me think clearly. Maybe it was because of my mutation, maybe not, but the key to thinking clearly was obvious to me; I needed more adrenaline. But I didn't think they'd let me command another mission again after that escapade, and they probably wouldn't give me any more of those pills. They wanted me to rest, and I knew, despite my scrambled thoughts, that I needed rest.

But Natasha was missing, in danger. And short of jumping off the helicarrier, I doubted I'd be able to escape the helicarrier or find anything else here to get my adrenaline pumping.

Actually… I glanced around at the medicine cabinets lining the walls.

Oh man, I had a plan, but it was possibly the dumbest idea I'd ever had.

As soon as I was sure Fury was gone, I began the plan. Jumping up, I snuck over to one of the medicine cabinets. "Adrenaline," I muttered. "Also known as- here it is-epinephrine." I grabbed five 'adult dose' EpiPens to make sure it'd be as strong as the Red Room doses of adrenaline and then tore out of there.

I knew that this was probably a bad idea. But if adrenaline was the key to making me feel awake, then damn the long term consequences. I had to find Natasha.

I was lucky that no one saw me on the way to the top deck. Usually, being a kid was a great cover- you could sneak into and out of crowds to evade detection and you could hide behind and underneath things easily. But here in the grey corridors of the helicarrier, there was nowhere to hide, and these people weren't normal, stupid adults- they were SHIELD agents, and they knew where everyone was supposed to be. If I had been seen, I would have definitely been stopped.

I paused by the very edge of the helicarrier and looked down to the white clouds below. I didn't know if my father would have added something- maybe a force field- to keep people from jumping off the edge. I didn't know if this was considered life-threatening enough to have my suit called to me, or if I had screwed Nova up when I hacked her so that the suit would no longer come to me, or if I'd even be able to fly it without Nova on autopilot. There were way too many 'what ifs' in this plan. This plan was stupid. But losing Natasha was my screw up. I had to find her.

I glanced at one of the EpiPens I had brought and as I stood there on the edge, looking down. Taking a deep breath, before I plunged one of the pens into my thigh. Unfortunately, as I was holding it to my leg for the required ten seconds, my eye caught the warning label.

Warning- may cause arrhythmias, heart attack, stroke, or death.

I supposed I had better wait to do another one until I really needed the pick me up, then, instead of double doses like I originally planned.

Besides, I could make an educated guess that my mutation that was protecting me from overdosing on adrenaline, meaning that I could use it to wake myself up, and that the mutation almost… fed… off of adrenaline.

But taking a single dose was fine for now, because already, the dose was making my vision sharper, my heart rate increase, and my thoughts clear.

Maybe I should have waited until after I jumped off the helicarrier to shoot myself up with adrenaline, because now that my thoughts were clear of the emotional anguish my concussion was obviously causing me, I realized that this plan was crap.

 _Why bother going after Natasha? You're safe here. Your future is secure. What does it matter? Your brain is injured- that's more important than saving Natasha. Someone else can get her…_ I shook my head, willing the worst part of my mind to shut up. That's how I used to think all the time before going to Malibu. I was out for myself and damn everyone else. It had helped me survive the abuse in Tempe; hell, it was necessary in Tempe. I had thought that the survival side of me _was_ who I was, but I wasn't the same kid who threatened Tony for tuition money.

 _What had changed?_ It wasn't being able to train. Training with the Avengers, at first, had been a way for me to ensure that no one else could hit me again. Was it the Red Room? _No,_ I realized. _Not the Red Room itself. It was thinking the Avengers were dead._ Somewhere along the line, the Avengers had become my family. The horror of my family being 'dead' was more than mentally I could bear. I couldn't lose them again.

It was then I realized, wind whipping my hair around my face, that for me, survival had not been enough, had never been enough. What I wanted was to be accepted, to be loved. And the Avengers had given me that. Losing Natasha _was_ my mistake, and I wanted to fix it, but more than that, I wanted to protect my family, and Natasha was in danger. I had these abilities; my genius, my suit, my mutation. I could- no, I _should-_ use them.

 _You start by doing what's necessary. Then you do what's possible. Eventually, you're doing the impossible_. My father's words from so long ago came to the front of my mind. Well, this was a pretty impossible plan...

"STARK! Get the hell away from there!"

I glanced back and saw Maria Hill and Fury running towards me. Now or never. Choose. _Eventually, you're doing the impossible._

If Natasha died, if Ultron hurt her in any way, it would be completely my fault.

I took a deep breath and flung myself off the helicarrier.


	16. Battle of Sokovia: Part One

Free fall. I spun uncontrollably through the air, my heart pounding as the ground got closer and closer. I had to spread myself out, slow the fall, give myself some more time for the suit to get to me. With difficulty, I spread myself out eagle-spread and tried to create the most air-resistance.

 _SNAP_.

The hand, forearm, and feet parts of the suit encased me and the thrusters fired, slowing my fall as the rest of the suit snapped into place.

Less than fifteen seconds after I jumped, I was completely encased in my suit. But after the final piece clicked into place, the thrusters shut off.

"NOVA!" I screamed as the HUD lit up. "Help!"

"Oh, now you want my help?" Came the cool, mechanical voice of the AI.

"Now is not the time to be sassy!"

"You shouldn't have messed with my protocols."

"Nova! Please!"

Nova was silent. Fantastic, my AI was trying to kill me.

Less than 50 meters from the ground, the thrusters kicked in again, causing me to come to an abrupt halt. I was now suspended in the air, looking down at whatever city I was above. If I wasn't so terrified, I'd have been able to appreciate the view.

"Don't mess with my protocols again, Holly," the AI said sternly as I tried to catch my breath. Wow. This was crazy- my AI literally tried to scare me to death. Maybe I was better at programming her than I thought. Or worse, depending on how you looked at it.

"Sorry! But this is kind of an emergency. Natasha Romanoff's been captured. We need to find her."

"How do you suppose to do that?" Nova asked coldly.

"I was hoping that you'd have some sort of idea," I grumbled. My head was starting to pound again as the adrenaline began to wane.

If an AI could sound exasperated, she would. "I'll start running screens. You should familiarize yourself with moving in the suit. You're lucky that you disabled my ability to notify your father."

I grinned my trademark shameless grin and began to practice moving in my suit. I was surprisingly adept at it; but then again, I did have Nova to help.

After roughly an hour, in which I became decently acquainted with the abilities of the suit, Nova spoke again.

"I'm putting a marker in the HUD- we're headed to Sokovia," she said in a clipped tone.

"Nova, I'm sorry about hacking you- I had no choice," I said in a pleading tone as I headed toward the marker. The last thing I wanted was the AI helping me pilot my suit mad at me.

"I understand. But my original protocol was, in summary, to keep you safe. This is not safe. It is… conflicting."

Now I felt bad. I had regarded Jarvis and Nova as machines, not entities with their own personalities.

"I'm sorry," I said again, this time with genuine remorse. "I didn't realize it would upset you."

"You're forgiven, Ms. Stark."

I cringed. "Holly."

"Holly, I'm getting a feed from Captain Rogers' comm- he and the rest of the Avengers, besides Agent Romanoff, appear to be headed to Sokovia as well. Shall I contact them?"

"No!" I yelled. "If you call them, they'll make me go back to the helicarrier. I need to find Natasha- losing her was my mistake, and it's my job to fix it. Can you just hack into it so I can listen in? That way, I can sort of coordinate, but stay off their radar."

"You got it, Holly."

Steve's voice filled my helmet.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

"Ugh," I muttered to Nova. "My dad was so right about his morals being gross."

I didn't add that I agreed with him.

Tony and the rest of the Avengers were desperately trying to evacuate civilians. It wasn't hard, with Wanda's mind control and Pietro's speed, to get the people of Sokovia to flee. Tony was glad that the twins were on their side, despite the moral issue of them being minors. Still; they were here voluntarily, and they needed the help.

Welcome to the Avengers, Maximoff twins. Come help destroy the murder bot Uncle Tony created.

At least they now had Vision as a result of the whole debacle, which was a plus, although it wasn't enough to atone for the people that had already been hurt and would be hurt… because of Ultron. Because Tony had created Ultron. Hell wasn't good enough for him.

And, selfishly... Tony was glad that he had Jarvis in a humanoid form. Although, Friday was… different, to say the least.

"Your man's in the church, boss. I think he's waiting for you," came the AI's voice.

Tony flew into the church Friday indicated on his HUD and landed. At first glance, Ultron wasn't in the church.

"Come to confess your sins?" Ultron asked, cocky.

"I don't know, how much time you got?" Tony jeered, spinning around to come face to face with the big man himself.

"More than you."

Tony was astounded at how much larger Ultron was. Damn vibranium. "Uhhh. Have you been juicing? A little Vibranium cocktail? You're looking, I don't wanna say, puffy…" Tony mumbled, trying to engage in a conversation with the AI, trying to stall.

"You're stalling to protect the people," Ultron stated.

Crap, Tony had created him, of course Ultron would know what he was planning. "Well, that is the mission. Did you forget?"

"I've moved beyond your mission. I'm free." Suddenly, the floor broke apart, and a cylinder vibranium core, roughly two and a half feet high, exploded from the tile floor of the church. "What, you think you're the only one stalling?" Ultron sneered.

"There's the rest of the Vibranium. Function: still unclear," came Friday's report as she analyzed it on his HUD.

"This is how you end, Tony. This is peace in my time," Ultron boomed.

Tony heard his teammates yelling. The Ultron Sentries were attacking.

"GO!" Steve bellowed.

"Get off the bridge! Run_ arg!" Wanda shrieked.

"Ultron." Tony's focus turned back towards the church as Vision entered.

"My Vision. They really did take everything from me," Ultron mourned.

"You set the terms, you can change them," Vision said seriously.

 ****Tony didn't bother staying; Vision could take care of Ultron- he had to go protect the people of Sokovia.

"Friday! The Vision?" he requested after a couple of minutes, checking up.

"Boss, it's working. He's burning Ultron out of the net, he won't escape through there."

Tony smirked. "Ha!"

All of the sudden, the Ultron Sentry that Tony was destroying started speaking in the same voice as Ultron.

"You shut me out! You think I care? You take away my world, I take away yours."

The ground started to crumble.

***  
"Nova, how much longer?" I asked. Flying was cool, but I had been going for what felt like forever.

"Less than a mile."

I nodded. "Any idea where exactly Natasha would be being kept? Or where the Avengers are?"

"I'll tag them all for you."

My HUD lit up again with tags; red/gold for Tony, blue for steve, black for Natasha, purple for Clint, red for Wanda, grey for who I assumed was Pietro, yellow for Thor, and... "Where's Bruce? And who's the blue/red/black one?" I asked Nova. "Ultron?"

"I don't know the answer to either of those questions, unfortunately. I can find and recognize comm-links and their signature wearables, so whoever they are, they're on our side with a comm. But Holly- I have to warn you, if your father has the Avengers tagged right now, you're going to show up in his HUD. Your suit has stealth abilities, but not from him."

"Well, put me on stealth mode, then, so I can hide from SHIELD- you know Fury's probably on his way to help-and let's hope that Tony's got his off. Thanks, Nova."

I directed myself towards the red tag on the screen, what looked like an underground warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

"Anyone else in the building? Can you read it through infrared?"

"No, I'm not getting any reading, so make sure you sneak_"

I crash landed through the roof into, luckily, a completely empty room. Oops. Desperate times. The HUD tag was right in front of me, through a door. I grinned. This was a ridiculously easy rescue mission.

I blasted open the door to reveal Bruce and Nat kissing.

"EW!" I yelled.

"Way to be stealthy, Holly," Nova grumbled.

Natasha pushed Bruce into the pit and shot at me with her revolver. Thanks to the suit, I wasn't killed.

My faceplate flipped up. "Hey!" I yelled, indignant. "You kill Bruce and then try to kill me? Who's side are you on?"

"Holly, what the hell!" Natasha yelled back. "I thought you were an Iron Sentry!"

"Nope. Just the Calvary.. Although from the look of it, you didn't need rescuing…" I added snarkily.

Natasha wasn't to be distracted as Bruce, completely Hulked out, jumped out of the pit.

"I need the other guy right now," she mumbled to him. "Let's finish the job."

The Hulk grinned.

She jumped onto his back and said to me, "Get back to the helicarrier! That's an order! Go!" before the Hulk leapt towards the city.

"Well, you're welcome," I muttered, irritated, as it became clear to me that Natasha in no way had needed rescuing. My vision was starting to blur slightly again, and my headache seemed to triple as I felt myself coming down from the adrenaline. "Nova, let me out of the suit; come back when I say "Go Nova."

"You got it."

The suit opened up and I stumbled out, almost falling after being airborne for so long. It felt weird to walk. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out another EpiPen. "Three left," I muttered. As I felt the familiar feeling of adrenaline surging through my veins, I yelled, "GO NOVA!" and grinned in elation as less than five seconds later, I was encased in the suit. Neat trick. As soon as I got airborne, I knew that I was going to completely ignore Natasha and join the battle. I was here now, anyway. And judging from the screams from the civilians, I could assume that the Avengers needed some help.

"Friday?" Tony asked as he watched the ground around him sink. No- the ground around them wasn't sinking- Sokovia was _rising._

"Sokovia's going for a ride," Friday answered him solemnly.

The Ultron Sentries were still spewing Ultron's words. "Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

"The Vibranium core has got a magnetic field, that's what's keeping the rock together," Friday explained.

"If it drops?" Tony asked, dreading the answer.

"Right now the impact would kill thousands. Once it gets high enough... global extinction."

"All right. Let's head back- see what we can do. In the meantime, try to contact SHIELD again. We need to get the citizens off, if possible. And find out how Holly's doing."

Tony flew toward the city and reached it just as a building started to collapse."That building's not clear, tenth floor!" Friday barked. Tony flew in and saw a family still in their apartment, huddling in terror. Great, they probably thought he was an Ultron Sentry.

He glanced around wildly. He couldn't carry them all out. His eyes landed on the bathtub and he smiled. "Hi. Okay. Get in the tub!" He ordered.

Tony got the family safely back on the ground, although in reality, they were not safe. Not as long as Ultron was in this world.

"Any luck with SHIELD?" Tony asked.

"Negative, boss. No answer."

Tony felt his heart skip a beat. "Does that mean… did Ultron…"

"I think they're okay. They just didn't answer."

"Again!? Useless pirate," Tony grumbled as he blasted another Ultron Sentry.

"I got airborne, heading up to the bridge, boss!"

"Cap, you got incoming!" Tony shouted.

Steve grunted as he was slammed down onto the top of a parked car. Of course Stark would warn him too late. "Incoming already came in," he grunted. "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed, walk it off."

I was only halfway towards the main part of Sokovia when it happened. With a creaking, ripping sound, the very earth that Sokovia rested on broke apart and started to rise.

My thoughts were muddled, and it was hard to think straight, but I forced myself to think through the science that could allow that to happen. Much to my chagrin, I couldn't. This should be impossible- this _would_ be impossible.

"Nova? What's going on?" I asked with a shaking voice.

"It appears that there's a vibranium core in the center of that- that mass. It's keeping the particles together."

"The particles… Nova, d'you think, with my mutation, I could manipulate them? Bring them back down?"

"That's a really stupid idea. You don't even really know how to control your mutation, let alone try to manage something of that mass," Nova pointed out to me.

"That's why I asked you first." I knew that Nova spoke the truth. Even if I did know exactly how to use them, there was no way that I'd be able to fight a vibranium magnetic field that kept the hunk of dirt together.

"What do you suggest then?" I asked.

"Honestly? You should get back to the helicarrier. Natasha's safe. You can't do much here that the Avengers aren't already doing."

"No, I can't, but I'm going to try my best anyways," I told her stubbornly.

The AI sighed. "Then let's get up there."

I launched myself up onto the rising city and was immediately engulfed by the chaos. Ultron Sentries were _everywhere._ I entered the battle, trying to protect the citizens- but I knew that tactically, this battle was pretty much hopeless. Ultron had outmaneuvered us; we had no way, as of now, to bring this thing safely back to Earth. So we had no way of getting citizens out of the way; we could only defend, and there were nine of us, ten if the unknown HUD tag counted as an ally. We would eventually make a mistake, grow tired, or… or there wouldn't be any citizens left to defend.

Not to mention, this mass couldn't rise forever. Eventually, the air would be too thin for humans to breathe. If it entered the atmosphere, we were dead already. But if it just dropped, gravity would cause it to increase speed until it slammed into the Earth. The higher it got, the more damage that it could do.

This wasn't just about the people of Sokovia anymore; this was a fight for the survival of the planet.

My mind raced through scenario after scenario, each one stupider than the last. So this thing probably couldn't come down slowly. If it could, fine and dandy. But Ultron likely has it set so that it _can't_ come down early, which meant we needed a way to get the citizens of Sokovia off this rock, and then we'd have to find a way to blow it up while it was in the air. The falling pieces would likely still cause some damage, but it wouldn't destroy the planet.

"Nova, call Fury."

"Smartest thing you've said all day."

I was using my repulsors to blast Ultron Sentries left and right, but I made sure, with the use of my HUD, to stay away from any of the Avengers. I was so glad that they were just robots I was destroying, not sentient beings. If felt less like a murder when it was just robots.

"He didn't answer," Nova informed me after a few moments.

"Literally keep annoying him until he does! Hack through the system of SHIELD if you have to so you can get a message right in his face!" I realized I sounded hysterical, but Nova didn't call me out on it.

"What should I tell him?"

"Tell Patchy that he needs to bring the Black Pearl up here. Let me know when you get your message in, please."

"You got it."

"Thanks, Nova."

As I cut my way through Sokovia, I was scared, dizzy, and confused in the chaos of the rising city, but I was determined to destroy the Sentries and protect the people. I thought about abandoning my suit and using my energy bending mutation; but I wasn't exactly sure how to use it, and now was not the time to find out and experiment. I had this suit- for the time being, that was enough. If I lived through this, then I could experiment more with my mutation.

I knew eventually I'd have to reveal myself to the Avengers so I could work with Tony to figure out a plan to blow this up. If he had a plan to bring it down slowly, well, that was better, since Nova didn't appear to get a message to Fury yet. I figured that Clint and Scarlet Witch was a safe pair to make my appearance known to; Tony and Natasha would freak and Steve would get all team leader on me, and I didn't want to deal with that in person; Clint would tattle on me through the comm-link as soon as he saw me, but at least I wouldn't have to deal with the Avengers' wrath in person.

I burst through the back of a building, towards Clint as Wanda, just as they ran in through the front.

"Go, go, move!" Clint yelled at her as he half-shoved her into the abandoned building.

"Holly, I broke into the servers. Fury got the message. No idea if he's coming or not."

"Well, let me know if he decides to actually do his job," I said bitterly. I moved forward, prepared to announce my presence, but then paused. Wanda was clearly having a serious freak out. So, I dodged behind a door, stayed in the shadows, and hoped the light from the Arc Reactor wouldn't show. At the same time, being so close to Wanda made me extremely uncomfortable. It was like when you tried to shove two of the same poles of magnets together; they repelled each other. Every instinct in my body was telling me to get the hell away from here.

But I couldn't. So I fought it. Wasn't part of growing up learning to work with people you didn't like, anyway?

"How could I let this happen?" Wanda cried.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Clint asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"This is all our fault!"

Well, technically, Ultron wouldn't have gotten vibranium if it wasn't for Wanda and Pietro. But Ultron wouldn't exist if it wasn't for my dad. And my dad probably wouldn't have created Ultron if I wouldn't have been kidnapped. But Hydra kidnapped me. So...

Clint was rarely serious, but apparently this was one of those times. "Hey, look at me. It's your fault, it's everyone's fault, who cares. Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know, 'cause the city is flying. Okay, look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow," Clint chuckled without humor. "None of this makes sense. But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit. It doesn't matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good, I'll send your brother to come find you, but if you step out that door, you are an Avenger."

Wow. That was a way better pep talk than Steve's.

But Wanda just looked at Clint, who cleared his throat awkwardly. "Alright, good chat." He got up and started to leave. "Yeah, the city is flying," he muttered before rejoining the fight and shooting three arrows at once.

Impulsively, I walked up to Wanda. She screamed bloody murder. Oh, yeah- if I scared Natasha, I was definitely scaring her. I stepped completely out of my suit and sat down next to her. "Hey, Maximoff," I said cheerfully.

"Stark? What are you doing here?" she yelled. "I should have known you were nearby." she glared at me distastefully. So I wasn't the only one that felt uncomfortable, then.

"Same thing you are. We're here to save the world. You've got those energy bending powers- well, now is the time to use them. It's pretty fun, actually, killing robots. Only downer is, they try to kill you back. You dig?"

"You're crazy!"

"Well, yeah. A few hours ago jumped off a floating ship thousands of meters in the air. That isn't exactly a picture of sanity." I rolled my eyes, but then inspiration struck. My mutation was most powerful when I was super emotional. "Listen, Clint doesn't have time to babysit you, and I don't, either. And if you just sit here, doing nothing, then you're a bigger coward than I thought. We've got to protect the people of Sokovia- _we_ can protect them, and _they_ can't protect themselves. Or is your only ability to make people see their worst fears?"

I knew I was pissing her off; that was the plan. I figured that Wanda was already uneasy around me the same was I was uneasy around her; because we could both manipulate energy (although, admittedly I definitely wasn't as in tune as she was), we naturally repelled each other. Either that, or I was just really salty that she had caused Ultron to get away with the Vibranium in the first place. Whatever; motives weren't important now. I just had to make her mad enough to get her into action.

"I am not a coward. I've been through things you can't even imagine, while you've been living your cushy life as a _Stark."_

Oh, yeah, I was pissing her off, but now I was a tad miffed, too. "You don't know anything I've been through. Let's trade stories later, if we live. Follow my lead." While I had been talking, I had stabbed myself with another dose of adrenaline and held it down for ten seconds. I tucked it back into my pocket and bolted out the door. I wasn't sure if she'd follow me, but I didn't want to stay in there for another second.

"Two left," I muttered. I should have grabbed ten, with the way I felt. "Go Nova!"

My suit flew to me as the new surge of adrenaline made me alert. "Open up the comms to the Avengers," I muttered to Nova, taking down another Sentry. "Here we go."

"Connection is open. Good luck." Nova almost sounded sympathetic.

"Hey everyone, Holly here!"


	17. Battle of Sokovia: Part Two

I blasted down a sentry that was about to get Clint from behind as he stared at me, dumbfounded. But luckily, he was only hesitated for a second before snapping back into action.

"Holly?" Tony asked, sounding angry. "You're supposed to be on the helicarrier! You're supposed to be safe! Since when did you _Nova was supposed to notify me if the Iron Shorty suit activated_ YOU HACKED NOVA'S PROTOCOLS?" He shouted, putting two and two together. "No wonder why Fury didn't answer. He lost you. How did you_"

"YOU NAMED MY SUIT THE IRON SHORTY!?" I yelled, narrowly avoiding a blast pointed towards my chest that would have likely damaged my Arc Reactor and returning my own blast, which took down the offending Ultron Sentry.

"I thought I told you to get back to the helicarrier!" Natasha yelled back, clearly ignoring the issue of the lamely named suit. "You know, this is really reminds me of the time we marathoned _The Walking Dead_ \- someone tells Carl to get in the house, and Carl is NEVER in the house!"

"You knew she wasn't on the helicarrier? Why didn't you say anything?" Tony asked, sounding betrayed.

"We're kind of busy fighting for the future of humanity right now!"

"Look, I'm here, I'm fighting, I'm good- Wanda!"

Wanda had just exited the building and was using her telekinesis to rip robots in half _from midair._ Wow, that was badass. I felt a pang of jealousy- my mutation couldn't do that. At least, not right now.

"Well," I said, smirking. " Wanda just kicked ass. We're clear here."

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve yelled.

"Holly, keep protecting the civilians- and stay in your suit, no matter what! It'll protect you. You're so grounded if the world doesn't end today," Tony snapped.

Clint nodded at me and Wanda. "Alright, coming to you."

Pietro appeared out of nowhere and picked Wanda up. "Keep up old man!" he shouted at Clint before speeding off.

Clint squinted his eyes and drew his bow. "Nobody would know. Nobody. The last I saw him, Ultron was sitting on him. Uh...yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already."

I snorted with laughter. "Clint, you gotta put a dollar in the swear jar."

Clint grinned at me sheepishly.

"Holly! Need someone intelligent to bounce ideas off of!" Tony shouted through the comm as I flew towards Cap and Natasha, leaving Clint behind.

"What's up, Dad?" I asked, dodging a blast from an Ultron Sentry before taking it down. "Thinking about how to bring this thing down safely? Because I already figured it out- we can't," I said grimly.

"Exactly. According to FRIDAY- New AI helping me work my suit, because the Vision, the Red and Blue dude with the cape that's got a gem in his forehead and is flying around used up Jarvis' matrix- um, anyway, Friday says that the anti-gravs on the vibranium core are rigged to flip. If they get flipped, then the city is going to slam into the Earth. This thing _can't_ come down slow."

I decided to ignore the whole thing about Tony creating _another_ living, breathing AI. At least this one was a good guy. "Okay, so Ultron is gonna drop this rock. That obviously can't happen. So... what if we hit the vibranium spire with Thor's hammer? It'll destroy the city." I took off, getting a wide view of the city. I couldn't believe that vibranium could _do_ this. Wish they'd have covered the element more thoroughly in my high school chem course.

My dad sounded thoughtful. "Thor does that, it'll crack it. But Friday's calculating that it's not enough- the impact would still destroy most of the Earth."

"Yeah, okay. What if you capped the other end, kept the atomic action from doubling back?"

"Holly. That'd vaporize the city and everyone on it," my dad said, his voice flat. He and I were both in midair now, facing each other.

"I know," I told him. Nova still hadn't gotten back about Fury, so I decided against mentioning the possibility of him coming to help. Either SHIELD would get here in time or they wouldn't. Mentioning it wouldn't do any good, because Tony couldn't do more than I could in trying to contact him. "But it's our only chance of saving the rest of the world."

Tony was silent. He knew I was right. "You need to go. Find safety."

"I'm not leaving. We'll find another option."

"Starks, come in. Did you guys find a plan?" Steve chimed in.

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if we can get clear," Tony said grimly.

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan," Steve snapped.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice," Tony told Cap.

The decision was obvious to me, as much as I hated it the answer.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock…" Natasha trailed off.

"Not 'til everyone's safe!" Steve exclaimed.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there," I told the group.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

"I don't think we should leave," Natasha chimed in. I swear, the whole battle seemed to freeze. She turned to look at us. "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?" She gestured to the clouds. It _was_ beautiful, I guess. If you weren't about to destroy an entire city to keep the rest of the world safe, no matter what Steve 'Golden Boy'' Rogers said.

Then the voice of God spoke. "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better." I grinned at Fury's voice, and then whooped in elation as I saw the helicarrier floating level with Sokovia.

"Fury, you son of a bitch!" Steve exclaimed happily.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth? That's a buck in your swear jar, Rogers."

"Never thought I'd be so happy to hear from him!" Tony yelled. "Fury, we're even for you letting my daughter escape and join a firefight."

"Do me a favor. Never reproduce again, Stark. Two of you are more than enough." Fury looked at me. "Black Pearl is here, Holly. Good call contacting us. Probably the only good decision you've made in the past three days. She jumped off the damn helicarrier, you know."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Came several voices at once. Wow. What a rat. Well, it was bound to come out eventually…

"We've got a city to save!" I yelled at them. "You all can yell at me later." I blasted off into the air as I watched lifeboats deploy.

"This is SHIELD?" I heard Pietro ask.

"This is what SHIELD is supposed to be," Steve answered.

"This is not so bad," Pietro admitted.

Why would Pietro think SHIELD was bad?

"Let's load em up," Steve said. "Everyone! Get the civilians on the boats!"

I meant to go landside, help evacuate the citizens, but then I noticed a third Iron Man suit shooting out of the helicarrier. "Dad! What's that?" I said, having Nova pinpoint the third suit on Tony's HUD.

"Holly, meet your Uncle Rhodey."

"Yes! Now this is gonna be a good story!" A voice said jubilantly.

I shook my head and started to help evacuate the citizens; I could ask about that later. I had heard about Rhodey, of course, when Pepper had told me about Tony's becoming Iron Man, but I had never met the War Machine.

I felt a grin growing as I ushered civilians aboard, occasionally protecting them from a rogue Ultron Sentry. This was going to work! We could get everyone on the lifeboats and then vaporize the city!

"Holly, go check on the core!" Tony shouted. "See if you can get any more information to help shut it down!"

A destination lit up on my HUD, and I flew to the church. It was empty. I exited the suit- NOVA somehow inserted a comm-link into my ear, and I was glad; it meant I could keep in contact with the team, even though I suddenly feld blind without Nova's constant flow of information. I glanced around at the church, looking for any structural designs that could give me hints. Finding nothing, I crept towards the core before I was slammed aside by a God and an AI fighting. That was unexpected. I landed on my back, felt my stitches burst open, and instinctively rolled to the side, safely out of the way behind a pillar to watch Thor and Ultron.

I did a quick check to see how hurt I was; I had been hit hard. No broken bones, but the lacerations that had opened up on my back was causing blood to soak my shirt. At least my shirt was black; the blood likely wouldn't be noticeable. I hadn't hit my head again, thankfully. Couldn't do anything about my back now; I had to focus on the problem at hand; figuring how exactly how to blow this thing.

"You think you're saving anyone? I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it's still billions dead. Even you can't stop that," Ultron sneered.

Thor, in his usual booming manner, boasted "I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast, I am...running out of things to say! Are you ready?" He grinned at something behind me. Before I could look, what must have been Vision came out of nowhere and nailed Ultron with Thor's Hammer. Later, I would laugh at the memory of Thor's smug little grin before Ultron just got beamed.

"It's terribly well balanced," Vision said, with Jarvis's voice.

"Well, if there's too much weight, you lose power on the swing, so."

Ignoring the two, I stepped out from behind the pillar and examined the core closer, trying to plot. "I've got it! Create a heat seal. Dad, you or I… we could supercharge the spire from below with the Arc Reactor!"

"That could work- I'll do it… Thor, I got a plan!"

"We're out of time. They're coming for the core!" Thor yelled. "We can't let them touch it!"

I looked around in a panic. Sentries were surrounding the church. Oh, boy. Here we go again. I grabbed out my last two EpiPens. I was going to need it.

After I tucked the last two into my left pocket- I couldn't believe I cared about not littering on a city that we were going to blow up anyway- I felt what seemed like static electricity running over my skin.

My mutation!

All of the sudden, I knew what I needed to do. I didn't have enough practice to utilize my mutilation to control the particles in other objects well enough to actually do damage yet; throwing pebbles at the Sentries wasn't going to accomplish anything. But when it came to my _own_ energy, it was easy to manipulate. When I was stressed out enough- no, when I had enough adrenaline in my system- I threw out my energy in an uncontrollable burst, unfocused, and driven by emotion. I had all that energy bubbling under the surface right now without the emotional baggage, thanks to the epinephrine- I just needed to channel that burst into a constant shield to block the core from being touched.

"Guys," I yelled, putting my hand about a foot from the core and focusing. A small force-field type screen formed around the core, but I could feel the strain, even though it wasn't very big or thick. I definitely couldn't make it any bigger without risking losing it entirely. But it did the job. "With my mutation, I can create a shield around the core by projecting my energy. It'll prevent anyone from slipping by and touching it as a last resort shield! But I can't be in my suit- I don't think that it'd react well with Arc Reactor, and I think I need my hands bare to channel energy through them. Basically, if any of the Sentries touch me, I'm dead," I explained.

The Avengers were all reaching me now. I forced myself to focus, creating a mental brick wall around the core, and the shimmery white force field turned into an opaque white.

"Great work, Holly!" Steve said, seeing the shield.

I grimaced. Already, I could feel my focus starting to wane.

"Breathe through it," I heard Wanda say. I nodded, fighting to not allow my focus to slip from the core for a millisecond. "It's going to hurt. You have to channel all of your energy through your hand." she gave a soft chuckle. "I'm jealous- I can't create a force field, not one like that. I have a feeling if anyone touched it, it would incinerate them."

"I didn't know I could, either," I gasped. "I just assumed- because I throw out all my energy when I'm threatened or stressed- that I could control it-"

"Just focus," she advised as I struggled to speak. I shut up.

"Okay, here's the drill- protect Holly. If they gets a hand on the core, we lose," Tony yelled as the Avengers assembled around me.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor yelled at Ultron, waving his hammer.

Seemingly hundreds more Ultron Sentries crawled behind Ultron.

"You had to ask," Steve sighed, exasperated.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?

"Like the old man said; together."

After Tony finished the last word of his sentiment, I could hear all hell broke loose, but later, I would look back and realize that I didn't know how long the battle lasted or how long I knelt there, feeling all of my energy being drained out of me and into the forcefield protecting the core.

I heard Thor speak next, but it was like he was underwater. "They'll try to leave the city!"

"We can't let 'em, not even one. Rhodey!" My dad called.

"I'm on it! Oh, no, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine, comin' at you, right ...Okay, what? Oh man, come on, Vision!" Vision must have destroyed the Sentries trying to leave; we were covered there...

"We gotta move out," Steve ordered. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

We were too high up in the atmosphere… not getting enough oxygen…. maybe that's why I couldn't think straight...

"Clint, Nat- grab Holly, get her to a boat, do not let her leave it!" Tony said. "I've got to get this thing primed to blow."

I felt my focus waver a bit. Holly. They were talking about me.

"What about the core?" Clint asked.

"I'll protect it," Wanda said boldly. "It's my job."

I was barely conscious, but still awake when Clint grabbed me, causing my focus to crash. Spots appeared in front of my eyes, and the next thing I knew, Clint was carrying me and he and Natasha were running out of the church.

"No…" I mumbled, trying to fight Clint off.

"Wanda's watching the core_ it's okay!" Natasha told me. "You did your part. You did more than your part. We're almost done. Rest."

"She's bleeding all over me," Clint complained.

"The medics will stitch her up."

Clint lay me down in the back of a car as Natasha hotwired it. I shut my eyes as Clint hopped into the driver's seat and speeded off.

I felt myself wake up a little as Hulk roared. Clint stopped the car and said, "We don't have a lot of time."

"So get your asses on a boat!" Natasha snapped.

I forced myself to a sitting position and waved off Clint's offer of help. Clumsily, I climbed out of the car and ran beside Clint to the lifeboat as Natasha ran off to find Bruce.

"You need a medic. Get those cuts on your back taken care of," Clint said, but then his attention was distracted. A woman was yelling for her son. Both Clint and I simultaneously saw the boy next to the wreckage of the destroyed market. "I got him. Stay here!" Clint ordered me.

I slumped back against the seat. I was exhausted and felt nauseous, but still felt the artificial adrenaline doing its work. My heart rate was sky high, at least, even if I didn't feel more alert. But we were almost at the end. We were almost done.

I had thought too soon. A lone jet, piloted by Ultron himself, was spraying bullets over the city, and Clint, now holding the boy, was directly in his path.

Before I could even cry out a useless warning, Clint was suddenly shifted out of the way… and Quicksilver was on the ground, with multiple bullet holes in his back.

I don't know how, but I sensed the energy thrown from Scarlet Witch. She knew her twin brother was dead.

"Wanda," I muttered, launching myself to my feet. Before I could form another coherent thought, I was running back to the church. Someone needed to protect the core. Wanda couldn't right now. Clint was handling the boy, Natasha was getting Bruce, Steve was finishing loading up civilians, and Tony and Thor were trying to blow the core. That left me.

It was a blind, desperate run, and later I wouldn't be able to recall much of it. The damaged infrastructure, the human bodies, the mechanical bodies, all of it seemed to blur together as I sprinted towards the core.

When I reached the church, I knew it was already too late. A crippled Ultron Sentry was millimeters away from laying a finger on the core.

Before I could even think of what to do, it got a hand on it, and the world was falling.

It was too late to get to a lifeboat. I knew that. All I could do was run towards the energy still being thrown from Wanda.

I reached her. She had a piece of crumbled up metal in her hand and the metal shell of Ultron's body lay nearby. Wanda had killed Ultron's main body, even if there were still Ultron Sentries out there that needed to be destroyed.

Good.

I grabbed Wanda's hand and roughly pulled her to her feet. "Come on! Pietro wouldn't want you to die like this! We've got to get off this rock," I yelled in her face, even as I knew that it was likely impossible. Her face was totally blank. No response. I was about to comm link the rest of the Avengers- somehow, that thing was _still_ in my ear- when suddenly the ground started to break apart and I was in freefall again.

Well, deja vu, except this time I had control over the situation. I relaxed my muscles completely. "GO NOVA!" I yelled, orientating myself so I was press eagled again. But after about ten seconds, no part of the suit had come…

Of course. Thor had hit the core, in the church, where my suit last was. My suit was probably destroyed.

I glanced around. The Vision was about 100 meters away, holding Wanda, and he didn't look like he had any intention of heading towards me. He couldn't hear me screaming, apparently. At least Wanda was safe.

I was going to die. Okay. I pressed my comm link. "Guys, I'm in free fall in the middle of the wreckage. I don't think I'm going to make it," I said calmly. Dead air met my response.

I wondered why death didn't bother me now, when I finally had a life...

The ground was getting closer and closer. I took a deep breath. Dying was going to hurt, absolutely. But maybe it wouldn't last long…

 _SNAP._

"About damn time!" I yelled to my AI, relief flooding through me. I realized that even though I had accepted that I was going to die, I hadn't wanted it. "What took you so long?"

"Don't even give me that, Holly," Nova snapped. "You're lucky I was able to wrangle your suit together at all- it was in pieces. And I'm surprised that you haven't been hit by rubble yet. Permission to autopilot?"

"Do it!" I yelled, and not a second too late; Nova steered me out of the way of a falling _car._ "Woah. Close one."

Nova didn't respond. Instead, I heard an interception of Natasha's comm wavelength. "Hey, big guy. We did it, the job's finished. Now I need you to turn this bird around, okay? We can't track you in stealth mode, so help me out. I need you to…" She must be talking to Hulk, trying to get him to turn back.

Apparently, the jet either got destroyed or Hulk broke the comm, because the line went dead. As Nova got me out of the zone of falling rubble, I traced the signal and got a pretty good guess at the direction the jet had been heading. "Nova, can you route us there?" I asked as the suit came to a halt and we watched the rest of Sokovia fall into the ocean.

"Holly, your Arc Reactor barely has enough power to get you to safety-"

"We need to get Bruce!" I snapped. "I have an idea. What are the chances of reaching the jet if I use my mutation to throw some of my energy into the Arc Reactor?"

"You'd have about five minutes before completely passing out. I don't suggest it."

"Let's go."

"Your father is going to turn me into scrap metal," Nova griped.

But I was ignoring her, instead focusing completely on channeling the rest of my energy into the Arc Reactor. "Stay on autopilot! Block the rest of the Avengers from contacting me, if they try- I need to focus."

We reached the jet and I was almost to the brink of exhaustion, but I blasted a small hole- enough for me to climb into, not enough for Bruce to get sucked out- in through the side and climbed in. Unfortunately, it broke the jet, which started falling.

Bruce, thankfully human,was passed out on the floor. "How much time left?" I asked Nova, panting.

"One and a half minutes. But Holly, I didn't calculate in carrying a full grown man…"

"Let's go." I gripped Bruce under the arms tightly with one hand and blasted off.

I could see the helicarrier in sight. It was lower than I was, likely working on getting the civilians landside again. Good for me- less power to go down than up. The lifeboats were going into the loading bay. I'd just have to land on the top deck then.

My mind was growing foggy, I couldn't keep this up much longer. At least Hulk wouldn't die if I dropped Bruce.

Through the comm link in my helmet, I heard Jarvis- no, Vision. I was about to try to get Nova to block him, then I realized that Nova was intercepting the communication so I could hear it.

"You're afraid."

"Of you?" Ultron challenged.

"Of death," Vision explained. " You're the last one."

"You were supposed to be the last. Stark asked for a savior, and settled for a slave," Ultron griped.

"I suppose we're both disappointments," Vision said dryly.

Ultron chuckled. "I suppose we are."

Vision sounded thoughtful. "Humans are odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites, and try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings. I think you missed that."

"They're doomed," Ultron growled.

"Yes. But a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. It's a privilege to be among them."

"You're unbearably naive."

"Well, I was born yesterday."

I heard Ultron getting wrecked through vision's comm and breathed a sigh of relief, even though I was still struggling to carry Bruce to the helicarrier.

The Ultron Offensive was over.

So was the multi hour adrenaline rush. I dropped Bruce about ten feet above the top deck of the helicarrier and felt my arc reactor flicker and die as I ran out of energy to sustain it. I crash landed on the deck, skidding across, before my head slammed into the ground, stars exploded in front of my eyes, and I blacked out.


	18. Aftermath

"Where's Holly?" Tony demanded, landing on the top deck of the helicarrier. He hadn't seen her on the lifeboats, and her suit appeared to be damaged; he couldn't track it even if she was in it, which at his last check, she wasn't. She was supposed to be on the freaking lifeboats.

His question was met with silence. Natasha was trying to contact Bruce; she swore as the Hulk turned off the comm vid and she slammed her hand on the control board. Steve was talking to Fury, Clint was nowhere in sight, and Thor wasn't back on the helicarrier yet. Tony wasn't worried; Thor was a god, after all. He'd be fine.

But his twelve year old daughter was a human. A kid. A kid who shouldn't have been on the battlefield in the first place. He should have sent her back.

"Holly's missing?" Natasha said, sounding dead. He had known that there was something going on between her and Banner. "Last time I saw her, she was on a lifeboat. She was supposed to go get treated- her stitches ripped open, she lost a lot of blood. Maybe she's already in the infirmary."

Tony nodded, wanting to believe it. "Where's Clint and Wanda?"

"Vision dropped Wanda here, then Clint took her to the infirmary. She's hysterical. He's going to take care of Pietro's body after they sedate her."

Tony ran his hand through his hair. "We should have never let them fight. The Maximoff twins or Holly. They're minors; they're kids. I'm an idiot."

"The Maximoff twins are almost of age, and they knew what they were doing. And technically we didn't _let_ Holly fight. She just did. Let Pepper know she willingly threw herself into the ring; that'll be punishment enough," smirked Natasha.

Tony smiled, too, looking forward to being home.

There was a banging sound as the door leading to the lower decks burst open. Both Tony and Natasha turned towards Clint, who was running toward them with a panicked expression. "Guys- Holly isn't on board. Wanda just said Holly was with her when Sokovia blew, but Vision didn't catch her_"

"What?" Tony cried just as Natasha pointed into the air and exclaimed, "What is _that?"_

The blue and green Iron Man suit was flying haphazardly toward the deck, one of the arms grasped around- Tony could tell, even from this far away- Bruce Banner.

"That little shit," Clint said, relieved.

But Tony realized; the suit wasn't flying, it was falling- she was going to crash. Before Tony could do anything, Bruce was dropped right in front of them and Holly landed about twenty yards away, rolling uncontrollably across the deck before the momentum ran out and she came to a stop. She wasn't moving.

Tony sprinted forward and fell to his knees as he reached his daughter. He carefully removed the helmet of the Iron Shorty suit. "Friday, do a scan for me," Tony said, his voice shaking. "Is she alive?" Blood was trickling out of his daughter's ears.

"She's alive. But it's not good, boss. Major blood loss from lacerations on her back, extreme fatigue, and most severely what appears to be a cracked skull that could possibly cause a brain bleed. She's going to need an MRI to determine exactly the extent of the damage. She likely needs surgery soon, or else she may lose some brain function- or even die."

Tony gripped his hair. His fault. He created Ultron, he didn't sent Holly back to safety when she first came to Sokovia, he failed to protect her again and again_"

"WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Steve yelled, obviously having heard Friday's analysis. Steve and the rest of the Avengers- his family- were now there with Tony, and for the life of him, he couldn't think of anything witty to say, just let Steve put his hand on his shoulder and followed them as they loaded Holly onto a stretcher and below deck to the infirmary.

He could see people's lips moving, but he couldn't hear what they were saying, the ringing in his ears prevented that. His fault. His mistake had cost him his daughter's health- maybe even her life.

"How do you get this suit off!?" Steve yelled, gripping Tony by both his shoulders.

Tony snapped out of his inner monologue. The Iron Shorty's Arc Reactor was faintly glowing; just enough power. "Nova, override- remove suit," he snapped. The pieces all detached and the doctors and Avengers surrounding Holly all started removing pieces.

"Be gentle!" Dr. Foster yelled. "We don't know the extent of her injuries. Try not to move her!"

Even though they were cautious, the pieces were all off within the minute. "Okay, no more metal?" Dr Foster asked, scanning Holly. Tony shook his head.

Doctors and nurses were moving quickly, attaching wires and IV lines. On a monitor, her blood pressure, oxygen levels, and pulse showed up. Tony didn't know what exactly 'good' levels were, but he didn't think Holly's vitals currently qualified.

"Activate the MRI! Everyone that's not medical personnel, out," she barked at the Avengers. Now!"

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but Steve and Thor grabbed him and hauled him out into the corridor.

"What the Hell!" he snapped. "That's my daughter in there!"

"Tony, you need to get checked out, too," Steve said calmly. "The doctors are gonna take care of her. You need to take care of you, so when she is better, she's still got a dad. Let's go get treated. You know they'll let you know the second they find out anything."

"It's my fault," he was numb. Thor and Steve led him to the non-emergency section of the infirmary and waited while they checked out all of the Avengers.

As Wanda was hysterical over Pietro, they had chosen to sedate her, and she was sleeping now. Bruce was still unconscious. Natasha and Clint were bruised and exhausted, but okay. Steve had a few cuts that had to be stitched up, but nothing major. Thor was apparently too mighty to be injured. And Vision was completely fine- he was helping run the Stark Relief foundation for the people of Sokovia. The casualties were in the thousands.

All Tony's fault. Because he was afraid. Because he was trying to fix something that was only dented, not yet broken.

His phone was ringing. He glanced at it. Pepper. "Hello?" His voice was dead.

"Tony! I saw the feeds! Holly was in the fight? How? Are you all okay?"

He sighed. He didn't know how to explain this to her. He decided to start with the good news and work his way backwards. "Natasha and Clint are fine. So's Steve, just a cut. Thor's always good. We added a new pair to the team; the Maximoff twins switched sides. Pietro… he's dead. He sacrificed himself to save Clint and a civilian. Wanda's understandably upset. She's sedated."

"I'll get on creating a floor for Wanda in Stark Tower; she's going to need somewhere to stay."

"Yeah, get on that. One for Vision, too."

"Tony… what aren't you telling me?"

"Holly joined the fight. She's alive, but she's got a pretty bad head injury, so she's unconscious now. I don't know how bad. I'll call you when they tell me more." He hung up the phone.

About an hour later, SHIELD's head neurologist walked into the room, and all of the conscious Avengers swarmed him.

"She's stable, but she likely won't be for long. Her MRI showed a significant traumatic brain injury. I was informed that she had a concussion before entering the battle, and then her crash landing on the helicarrier cracked her skull. There's just too much pressure on her brain right now. If we don't relieve it…" He trailed off. "We need your permission to perform a surgery to insert a pressure monitor; we'll be able to drain some of the fluid off. But her fracture is a depressed skull fracture; a piece of her skull is pressing on her brain, and it's in a difficult spot. I'm the best surgeon here, and I won't even attempt it, it's too risky. The wrong move would kill her, instantly. And without fixing that break… putting in the monitor is only borrowing her some time."

Tony shut his eyes.

"So we need a better surgeon, right?" Came a quiet voice. Bruce was awake. "I know a guy. He's a cocky son of a bitch, but he owes me a favor. If you put in that shunt, will it buy her enough time to get her to New York City?"

"If she's lucky. She's a brain bleed waiting to happen. It could be now, it could be never, but she needs that break fixed or her survival chance is zero. Mr. Stark, do we have your permission?"

Tony could only nod weakly.

Unfortunately, while they faced the issue of Holly's brain being a time bomb, on a global scale, they had bigger problems. Luckily, the public hadn't known that it was Tony who created Ultron, but they all understood it was the Avengers that blew Sokovia to bits. And although many of the civilians had made it out alive, the casualty count was still high. The press was tearing them apart. And then…

"...most shockingly, it is revealed that Tony Stark apparently has a daughter!"

A video of Holly exiting the Iron Shorty suit in the church showed on the screen. It must have been a security vid. Even on the grainy footage, the resemblance between Tony and Holly was plain. Tony groaned. He knew this day was coming, the day that the world found out about his daughter; the day that he painted a target on her back for anyone who hated him.

He phoned Pepper. "Tony! How's Holly?"

"She's gonna need surgery to repair her skull, but it doesn't look good. There's a good chance that…" He inhaled sharply, unable to say it. "We're headed back to New York City; Bruce knows a really good neurosurgeon there. Right now, they're putting in something that will relieve some of the pressure on her brain," he said dully. "Pepper, did you see the news?"

"Yes. Do you want me to release a press statement?"

"Well, we can't cover it up now that the world has seen her. Do it. Don't mention anything about her injuries or her mother."

"On it. Hang in there, Tony. I'll meet you at the hospital."

I was aware of movement. People. Where was I? Opening my eyes hurt. The light hurt. My head throbbed and I was feeling nauseous. My thoughts were muddled and I couldn't hear anything. I had gone too far, pushed myself too hard. Oh, God. Had I injured my brain?

Eventually, my eyes adjusted, but that didn't make me any less confused; a female doctor, one that was not Dr. Foster, was writing on a clipboard. I was hooked up to tubes and monitors, and I had on a neck brace. I tried to form a word, make a sound, twitch a finger, and found that I couldn't. I wasn't in pain. I was numb. Had there been nerve damage?

My heartrate monitor must have increased beeping, because the doctor glanced at that before glancing at my face. Seeing I was awake, she came over.

She must have her hand on my face, hair is being moved out of my line of vision- she's pushing my hair back, but I can't feel her fingers. She's speaking, but I can't hear her words. I forced myself to focus, to read her lips.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I know you're in pain. Dr. Stephen is going to make you feel better. He's the best doctor in New York City- maybe even the world!"

I closed my eyes. I didn't really care what else she had to say. For one, she was speaking to me like I was a child, and two, I had learned where I was, and that's all I could comprehend right now. I think I remembered the last thing I had done. Sokovia, falling onto the helicarrier. I think my family is safe. They were before I knocked myself out. That's who I wanted to see right now- Tony, my family. I wanted to hear Nova.

Before I could cry, I saw someone- the anesthesiologist? Step forward and push something into the IV line. I didn't remember falling asleep.

Tony and the rest of the Avengers, with the exception being Vision, who was staying with Wanda, were all in a private waiting room in New York Hospital. No one was speaking much; what was there to say? Either Holly would make it or she wouldn't. And if she did, they all knew the stakes; she was more likely to be brain damaged than to come out of this okay.

The door slid open, and Fury walked in. "The world knows about Holly Stark now," Fury said quietly, projecting a hologram of a new station, where there was a picture of Tony and Holly laughing while working on a suit. Tony smiled in spite of himself. It was the background on Pepper's phone; she had taken it within Holly's first few days at Malibu. "They're hailing her as a hero; we let slip that she had called for the lifeboats."

"Brilliant. So if she dies, you have your martyr," Tony snarled. "If you would have just done your job- _I trusted you_ , Fury! You said you'd take her to the infirmary. Instead you let her sit in and actually_"

"Okay, first of all, if I would have just dropped her off at the infirmary, she would have wandered off. I kept her with me so I could keep an eye on her, fed her some BS story about how we needed a strategist, and then took her to the command room. Rogers, Romanoff, and Barton played it off cool, let her tell them some stuff, but she freaked after Romanoff was captured. So then I actually had to take her to the infirmary. There was supposed to be a doctor watching her, but, well, you know the rest. I'm sorry."

Tony wasn't expecting Fury's apology, but that didn't mean he accepted it. "So, what. You let the press know that she's an Avenger. Which she's not, by the way, she's my twelve year old daughter. What, you want her to join SHIELD?" Tony laughed without humor. "No. I'm not letting you turn her into a puppet."

"On the contrary. I don't want her to join SHIELD." The Avengers looked at Fury, surprised. Even Tony was silent. "She definitely needs to get a handle on her mutation for her own safety, and she'll need more defensive hand to hand training, especially now that the world knows she exists in the first place."

"I guess we'll talk about it more if she wakes up," Tony mumbled. He had wanted to yell at Fury.

"Why don't you want to use her? She proved herself worthy in battle," Thor asked.

"Because we shouldn't use a child to fight our battles," Fury said.

"The other side does," Natasha said bitterly. "Holly wasn't the only kid in the Red Room we busted up."

"That's what makes us different from them," Steve stated, eyes blazing.

They were interrupted by one of the doctors coming in. "She's still in surgery," she said before the Avengers could jump her with questions.

Tony slumped. "How's it looking?"

"It's…it's a complicated process. The surgery is going to take longer than expected- it's likely going to take the rest of the night."

"Thank you, Dr. Palmer," Pepper said politely.

"That's not all," Dr. Palmer said. "Her blood work showed something odd; almost all of her levels related to adrenaline is off the charts. Her cortisol level is through the roof. This kid was really stressed out." There was almost an accusatory note in her voice.

"Thank you, Dr. Palmer," Fury said, his voice cold. Once she left, he turned to the Avengers. "You guys should get some rest," he said.

"I'm not leaving."

"I wouldn't think very highly of you if you did, Stark. But remember- the newest member of the Avengers can't be sedated forever, and she should probably have someone there to explain about us when she wakes up. Anyone willing to go sit with Wanda?"

Clint stood up. "I'll go. Someone let me know the updates about our girl."

Fury sat down in Clint's vacated spot.

"Why aren't _you_ leaving?" Tony asked, his tone clearly indicating that he wanted Fury gone.

"Because believe it or not, I care about your kid too. She's something else."

"Yeah," Tony whispered, a tortured look on his face. "She is."


	19. The Side Effects

The Avengers eventually ended up leaving the hospital to shower and sleep over the next few hours, except Tony, Fury, and Pepper, who all stayed the entire time Holly was in surgery. Tony was exhausted, and with the differences in time zones, he couldn't exactly remember the last time he slept. But if Holly did… die… then he wanted to be there.

The sun was just over the New York skyline when Dr. Palmer entered the room again. "The surgery was successful," she announced with a tired smile. "He repaired her skull and is confident about her waking up within the next few hours. We won't know the damage caused by the brain's swelling until she wakes up, but we're optimistic about a full recovery. She's very lucky."

Tony jumped up and shook her hand; Pepper hugged her. Fury just silently stood up and walked out of the room. "Where is she?" Tony asked. "Can we see her?"

"She's being transferred to the Pediatric ICU now. She actually was conscious for a few moments before surgery, but she wasn't responsive. But the fact she opened her eyes at all is a good sign."

"Thanks," Tony said quickly before grabbing Pepper's hand and heading to the PICU.

"I'm going to call the others," Pepper announced when they reached the floor. "Let them know that Holly is out of surgery."

"Sounds good." Tony just wanted to see his daughter, wanted to believe that she was in fact still alive.

He was stopped at the door at had to sign in and out and put on a mask and gown before entering the PICU. He wasn't angry about it; just impatient.

He was directed to her room by a helpful nurse. Taking a deep breath, he slid open the door and stepped into the room.

The walls contained Nintendo characters- Mario, Peach, Luigi, Toad. Somehow, the fact that this was a kid's hospital room, not just a drab hospital room for an adult, made it seem so much worse.

His heart stopped and tears sprung to his eyes as his gaze landed on Holly. His beautiful little girl had her head wrapped in gauze, not to mention the multiple IV lines and a heart monitor. She looked so small. Hospital beds did that to people.

He pulled up a chair and sat couldn't say anything, just looked at her face. There were cuts and bruises on it, most notably two deep purple ones underneath her eyes, but all in all, she looked no worse than any of the other Avengers. In sleep, her face looked peaceful. Tony hoped that if she was dreaming, it wasn't about Tempe or her time in the Red Room.

Pepper came into the room and sat next to him. "I can't believe you let her join the battle," she murmured, stroking Holly's hair. "She's a child. What were you thinking?"

"I didn't let her. She just did it. Even if I would have ordered her to go back, she wouldn't have."

"Wonder where she gets that from," Pepper said with a teasing smile.

"I know. And I can tell you that she's going to want to do it again. I don't think it's because she particularly wants to save the world, it isn't about glory; I think it's because she's afraid that we'll get hurt. Nova- that's her AI that I have in her suit- told me that when she went to Sokovia, it wasn't to join the fight. It was to save Natasha, because she blamed herself for getting Natasha captured."

"Well, hopefully she won't want to join SHIELD," Pepper said.

"I think we should have a conversation about it," Tony blurted out. "See what the team thinks."

"What?" Pepper looked at him with disgust. "You yelled at Fury about it, and Fury even thinks she shouldn't."

"Hear me out. She needs to learn to get a handle on her mutation, especially now that the news she's my kid is out- she's a target. She needs to know how to defend herself against threats. And Pepper, in less than six years, she'll be an adult and she'll be able to join SHIELD without my consent. At least if she starts now, then we can make a deal with Fury that can't be in the field. That'll give her six years of training instead of the regular SHIELD cadet's. It gives her a better chance in the long run."

"No. Absolutely not."

Tony put his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

Pepper leaned her head on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out together."

Less than a half hour later, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce were in the doorway, all also wearing gowns and masks. "How is she?" Steve asked, pulling up a few more chairs.

"No change," Pepper said.

Tony stood up abruptly. "I want your opinion, guys. Fury doesn't want Holly to join SHIELD, but I think in the long run it might be better for her. You guys care about her too. What do you think?"

The rest of the Avengers seemed stunned that Tony would ask their opinion. Pepper jumped in first."She's a child. She isn't even a teenager yet, she's a child. We should try to raise her as normally as possible; give her a family, continue like we had been doing before Ultron. I want her to have a future other than this- not that there's anything wrong with this," she added hastily. "I just want her to have options, and you guys all know once she starts, she's not going to stop."

Tony gestured to Steve, who was on Tony's immediate right.

Steve ran his fingers through his hair, looking careworn. "I agree. I don't think it's wise to have her join any part of SHIELD. She's still too young to know exactly what she wants, and it's not fair to her that we take advantage of her abilities when she's this young. I say that we give her defensive training with me or Nat, let her work with Wanda to help her figuring out her mutation, and then leave it at that; she could go to college, live a life. Any even if she did join SHIELD now, she's too young to be in the field with us comfortably. It distracts the rest of us because we worry about protecting her." Steve broke off, hesitating before continuing, "There's always training her as a strategist, but I'm very against having someone so young doing it. If she lost a battle and innocent soldiers died, she'd lose it," Steve said, remembering how she freaked out after Natasha was captured. "She's not old enough to take the burden of a soldier yet. Let's let her salvage the rest of her childhood."

Pepper nodded in agreement. Tony kept his face smooth. "Thanks, Steve. Clint?"

"Good luck trying to keep her out of the battle. Unless we blatantly lie to her and keep her on a rock without technology, she's going to find out about missions and risk blowing our cover by going and 'helping'. Tony, your kid takes orders as well as you do," He added with a chuckle. "I think that if we train her as a strategist, it'd be a good distraction for her so that she'd feel useful but she wouldn't be in the line of fire. She's already proved her worth as a damn good strategist." He leaned back in his chair. I think you should give her more credit, Steve. She's smart enough to understand the risks." He hesitated. "But… as a dad, I hate saying this. I couldn't imagine it if this was my kid in this situation. Hell, I love Holly like a niece. But the thing is, she's not just a kid. She's like us; she's special. And if we can use her abilities to help us save the world, then we need to do that, even if it's sacrificing what childhood she has left. We train her to work with us, as a team, and that way we'll worry about her less during missions. So I guess I vote yes."

Tony nodded, his face still not showing what he was thinking. "Okay, thanks Clint. Bruce?"

"I don't think it's a bad idea to let her join SHIELD, but I'm worried about she won't think it through; she's twelve, she doesn't understand the concept of having a family, having kids. Also, I don't think she should yet, because here's another aspect of it; SHIELD requires a psych test, and to be honest? She won't pass." Bruce rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated before saying, "Guys, she literally has no grasp of consequences at all. She jumped off the helicarrier with just a hunch that she might have the Iron Shorty suit coming to keep her from falling to her death. But it's more than just a lack of long term planning- she puts everyone else's life before hers; to save Nat, to save Wanda; hell, in the middle of battle, she logically thought that oh, Wanda was upset, Wanda went to go find Ultron, so someone had to go guard the core, and instead of calling someone else- aka, a God, or the Vision, or her father- to fly over and guard the core, she just blindly went to defend it herself without telling any of us, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make it off Sokovia unless there was the slim chance her suit was still operational. But she still went to do it herself. It was sheer dumb luck that kept her from dying due to the decisions she made without thinking of the consequences. I think a lot of it stems from her being so young, but also her past; she feels like a tool instead of a human being, so she thinks that if she dies, well, that's part of the mission. You guys can't honestly tell me she's not suicidal, or at least lacks self-preservation."

A shocked silence followed. They all knew it was the truth.

"That's why she should be trained," Natasha said. Pepper shot her a betrayed look as Nat held up her hands in defense. "Hear me out. As much as I'd love Holly to go to school, have friends her age, date, play video games, it's just not going to happen. She's been through more stuff than 95% of the population and the fact is, she isn't normal. She's twelve, graduated high school, is a genius, and now can manipulate energy. She knows that the world is threatened by HYDRA and almost died at their hands. I think that telling her that she can't do anything at all to help the fight would be a mistake in her current state of mind; she'd rebel, she'd go rogue, she'd get hurt or killed running off. By including her in training, we'd be able to keep an eye on her and teach her how to be a part of the team. Just because we train her doesn't mean we have to include her in missions. We could have her do command strategy or we could give her easy throwaway missions that SHIELD trainees would normally deal with. She's younger than any other SHIELD agent in history, but only by a few years. SHIELD's been in these situations before. Besides, she's had more experience than most of the rookie agents just from the past week. She'd be okay, and we could keep a close eye on her and train the stupid impulsive stunts out of her."

"Right. That sounds good." Tony nodded at Nat. Finally, someone with a logical plan. "Thor?"

Thor rubbed his chin. "Man of Iron, I am uncomfortable with telling you how to raise your daughter."

"I want your opinion."

"Could she not just work on armor and ships for us? Her mechanical intelligence parallels yours. That's what your main job is usually, is it not?"

"That's an option!" Pepper said, happily, but Natasha shook her head.

"She's too smart. She'll know we're trying to protect her, and that'll just piss her off. She's going to want to fight HYDRA. If we put her on maintenance when she knows there's a battle, it's going to be just like Clint said; she'll throw herself into the mix and if she's not trained, she'll get hurt. She needs training."

"She's twelve. You're her father, Tony. Why can't you just tell her 'no'?"

Tony laughed at Steve's comment without humor. "We already tried that, remember? We sent her to the helicarrier but she still found her way to Sokovia. She's a Stark. If she finds the rules tolerable, she'll tolerate them, but if she thinks they're stupid, then they just won't exist for her. I don't think anyone's ever laid down rules for her in her home life. The discipline SHIELD would instill would help, although I turned out fine," he grinned before it was replaced with a look of disgust. "Oh, no. I'm going to have to set boundaries for her, aren't I?"

Pepper gave him a look of horror, eyes wide. "Um, Yes! I don't know if I can handle two Starks with complete disregard for consequences."

"I guess the best option would be for Lady Stark to join the battle. The more people, the better, and she is talented. Shows promise."

"Okay, Tony said. "Thanks, guys."

"What do you think, Tony?" Steve asked. "She's your daughter."

He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his chin. "As her father, I want to protect her. She deserves to be protected; it doesn't seem like anyone has before. I want her safe and happy. But you guys know her; Clint's right. Short of locking her up, there's no way to keep her from a battle. But I don't know. I just don't want to lose her again."

They were interrupted by Dr. Palmer entering the room. "Sorry to interrupt," she said quickly, her tone accusatory. "But when we were bagging Holly's clothes, we noticed these in her pockets." She held out five EpiPens.

"Holly isn't allergic to anything," Tony said, confused.

"They're empty. Based on her bloodwork, she was periodically injecting herself with them over what we can estimate was about four hours. This would explain why her hormone levels are so completely out of whack right now," Dr Palmer said, sounding judgemental. "She's lucky she didn't die from a heart attack." She deposited them into the biohazard bin and walked out of the room, shooting Tony a nasty look as she walked out.

Tony facepalmed.

"That explains why she was completely alert, even though she was so beat up," Natasha said. "She was shooting herself up with adrenaline… that complete idiot…" She trailed off, swearing in Russian.

The rest of the Avengers didn't say anything, but Tony said what they were all thinking. "She's not joining SHIELD. Not until she actually realizes that her actions have real consequences."

Hours later, the sun was going down and it was just Tony in the room. The Avengers had left to go take care of things with SHIELD, and he promised to call and give them any news, as Holly still hadn't woken up yet. As much as they wanted to, the Avengers couldn't sit around waiting for Holly to wake up; they had work to do. Pepper had just left, getting Tony and herself coffee, food, and a change of clothes.

After Pepper had walked out, he began talking to Holly. It just seemed like the right thing to do. "I'm sorry, Holls," he choked out. "You trusted me to protect you, and I couldn't… I never have. I'm a terrible father. Didn't even know you existed for twelve years." He laughed humorlessly for a moment before shamefully looking down at her hand and holding it. "Guess I didn't exactly have a great example to follow, with how my old man was. But I want better for you; I want you to be happy."

"I am happy," a voice stubbornly croaked.

"Holly," Tony gasped in disbelief. His daughter's eyes were open.

"Yep."

Tony staggered forward and hugged her, being mindful of all of the tubes and wires. "You crazy kid."

"The team, is everyone okay? Where's Nova?"

"Yes, everyone's fine, you're the one we're all worked up about. Nova's right here." He took the AI chip and pressed a button on it. Nova's consciousness showed up in the form of a small green sphere about the size of a classroom globe, and he placed it on the bedside table.

"Okay," Holly sighed, closing her eyes. "Dad, I hurt everywhere."

"I'll take care of that." Tony located the call button and pressed it. Less than a minute later- this was the PICU, after all- a nurse came into the room. "My daughter's awake, and she's in pain. Can you give her anything for it?"

"We've got to call in the doctor, first, to do some tests. I'm glad you're awake, Ms. Stark."

The on duty pediatric neurologist came in. He shook Tony's hand before turning to Holly. "What's your name?" He asked her, checking her pupil reaction with a flashlight.

"Holly Stark."

"When were you born?"

"April 12th, 2003," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut in defense against the harsh light.

"What day is it today?"

"I dunno."

He marked something on her chart before squeezing her toe. "Can you feel this?"

"Yes." Holly opened her eyes. "My head really hurts," she mumbled.

"I don't know how she hasn't lost function," the neurologist muttered to Tony, out of Holly's earshot. "She shouldn't be awake right now, let alone performing so well on these tests. Her surgeon is an arrogant ass, but he sure earned it. Your girl is very lucky."

"Don't I know it," Tony said with a grin. "But now can you give her something? She never complains about being in pain."

"Right," he said, and he injected something into Holly's IV line. Her eyelids fluttered, and less than a minute later, she was out.

Tony felt his heart beat normally for the first time since Holly was kidnapped. She was safe, Ultron was destroyed. He left to go call the Avengers.

Bruce answered first ring. "How is she?" he asked before Tony could say anything.

"She's up," Tony said.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes. I need to talk to you; it's important. Do you want any coffee?"

Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Bruce walked through the door holding two coffee cups. He was almost always annoyingly punctual that way.

"Thanks," Tony said, taking one of the cups.

"Can I talk to you in the hallway? Bruce asked. "It's not for her ears. I don't want her to wake and hear us," he pressed on when Tony hesitated, looking at Holly.

"Sure," Tony sighed. Bruce had brought him coffee after all. And he'd be able to see Holly through the sliding glass door of the room, anyway.

Once they had stepped outside, Bruce rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Tony, have you actually read Holly's chart?"

"Um, no, why would I have? Is that doctor lying about her injuries or something?"

"No, she's telling the truth. But Tony- Holly's grown about five inches in the past two weeks."

"So? Kids have growth spurts." Tony was still so relieved at the fact that Holly was alive, up, and talking that he was having trouble thinking logically. Who cared if Holly got taller? He had made the Iron Shorty suit to expand as Holly grew. It's not like she grew two feet. She still seemed pretty short to him, anyway.

"Tony, she was injected with mutant serum that we have no idea what's in it. Serum that caused changes in her cells. What if this growth spurt is it, and she won't grow anymore? What if those cuts on her back don't heal up because her body can't make new cells anymore? What if_"

"I get the picture," Tony snapped, finally understanding the situation. He ran his hands over his face. "Deadpool- he's a mutant, what does SHIELD have on him? Did you check?"

"He's an adult- his mutation was different, too-"

"Bruce. Be honest with me. What's the most likely outcome?"

Bruce looked Tony in the eyes. "We need to run tests. We need to track her growth. We need a brain scan to see if she still has the brain of a twelve-year old or if her brain is fully developed. If she keeps growing at this rate, she'll be dead before she's thirteen. If this is it, and she won't grow anymore, she may live longer than the average human- she'll live until an organ gives out. It's all a shot in the dark now. Not to mention her mutation, which we can't really track..."

"What do you think?" Tony asked. He felt like he just got punched in the gut. Just when he thought that he'd hit a stroke of luck.

"I think we need to run tests to find out as much out about the body changes her mutation caused as we can. The sooner, the better."

"Bruce, let's keep the possibilities of Holly's life span between us for the time being. Telling her won't do her any good, so let's get as many tests as we can done tonight." Tony sighed. He was so tired, but this of course took precedent. "As for telling the team… it'd just freak them out. They deserve some peace."


	20. Not an Avenger

I didn't wake up again until the next morning. Bruce, Pepper, and Tony were in the room. All were wearing gowns and masks, and I felt a twinge of fear. There were Nintendo characters wallpapering the walls; I took those, and the gowns and masks, to mean that I was probably in an intensive care unit of a hospital, not dead, on the helicarrier, or in Stark Tower. What the hell?

"Hey, sweetheart," Pepper said when she realized my eyes were open. Tony and Bruce's attention turned toward me. I realized that I had interrupted an argument between them, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what they had been saying before Pepper had addressed me.

"How are you feeling?" Tony asked, smiling and taking my hand.

"Tired," I answered truthfully. My voice was croaky, and I realized how thirsty I was. "Water?"

Pepper jumped forward and handed me a cup with a straw in it. I reached out for it, but Tony helped support my shoulders so I could sit up a little and Pepper held the straw to my lips. I would have rolled my eyes, but decided to give them their parenting moment. Besides, to be honest, I didn't know if I could sit up even just the few inches Tony was helping me by myself.

Once my mouth wasn't trying to imitate the Sahara Desert anymore, I cleared my throat. "Where am I? I mean I know I'm in a hospital, I'm not that out of it, although whatever drugs they have me on is the good stuff." I glanced at the IV lines. One was definitely attached to a bag of antibiotics, and another was attached to saline, but I didn't recognize the third bag, which was attached to a plunger. I knew if I hit the button, I'd be injected with the painkiller. I immediately decided that I wouldn't unless the pain was unbearable; I wanted to be able to think, but my mind was crazy foggy already. At least it wasn't foggy in the rapid-firing-neuron way that it was like when I couldn't hold on to a solid thought during the battle. My concussion must be a little better.

"You're back in New York," Tony said. "What the hell were you thinking… what the actual hell were you thinking… you're in so much trouble. Grounded."

"What?" I asked, bewildered. I knew that Tony probably wasn't happy that I'd put myself in danger, but I had helped save the citizens of Sokovia, and I hadn't been too beat up by the end of it. "Why am I grounded?"

"We'll talk about it later. I'm just so glad you're awake," Tony said, his voice pure relief.

Was my concussion worse than I thought? It hadn't seemed too bad to me. I looked at him, a queer expression on my face. "Why? Was I not supposed to wake up?"

"You hit your head really hard, Holls. Ended up with a depressed skull fracture from crash landing onto the helicarrier. We had to get one of the best neurosurgeons in the world to fix you up. You're going need to take it easy for awhile."

To be honest, I didn't really mind that one. I hurt everywhere. It wasn't just from the stitched-up gashes on my back, the bruises, my strained muscles, or my head; it seemed to radiate from my very joints. "The Avengers are safe, right?" I asked.

Tony exchanged a stricken glance with Pepper. "You already asked that."

"I just want to make sure." I then vaguely remembered waking up and the idiot neurologist burning my corneas with that stupid flashlight. I must have asked it then. I picked up Nova's chip from the bedside table where Tony had put it yesterday, flicked it, and the green sphere flickered on. I tried to ignore Tony and Pepper, who were closely observing my every move. "Nova?" I asked softly.

"Right here, Holly," Came the AI's voice. "Glad to hear you're up."

I grinned in relief. Although I logically knew that AIs couldn't _really_ die, I was still worried about my friend. "You too, partner."

"Do me a favor, okay? Don't put us through anymore suicidal missions for at least a month. If I had a heart…" Nova trailed off, irritated.

I laughed at the sassy AI's voice. "No promises."

Pepper shook her head, clearly trying to stifle a laugh. But I met Tony's gaze. He understood about befriending an AI, I suppose, although I wondered how he was doing with Friday instead of Jarvis. Granted, Vision was sort of Jarvis...

I lifted my right hand, the one that wasn't attached to IV lines, and felt my head. It was so heavy.

"Careful, kid. You've got a ICP monitor on- it'll let the doctors know if the pressure in your skull raises too much," Bruce said quietly. There was an edge to his voice. I wonder why- maybe he was still upset about Sokovia. I knew that although we had saved a majority of the people, there were still those who had been killed.

"How many days ago was Sokovia?" I asked, realizing that I had no clue what day it was.

"The battle ended approximately two and a half days ago, give or take with the time zone differences," Pepper said. "It's Tuesday today."

There was a knock, and a woman in a white doctor's coat walked in. She was familiar, but I couldn't place her. "Hey, sweetie," she said. "Do you know who I am?"

My brain struggled to make the connection. "You… I saw you before…" I shook my head, frustrated. I couldn't remember.

"You saw me just before going into surgery," she prompted. "My name is Dr. Palmer."

Oh, yeah. This was the doctor who had treated me like a little kid. I was not impressed.

"We just need to run some tests, okay?" she asked. "Can you sit up for me?"

Turns out I could, but it was a struggle. The pain in my head increased tenfold when I moved from a mostly horizontal position. White lights appeared in front of my eyes, and I stubbornly used my arms to hold myself in an upward position. Tony and Pepper were on either side of me, getting ready to catch me if I fell.

"Okay," Dr. Palmer finally said. "Good."

They had adjusted the hospital bed so that it helped prop me up, and I forced myself to breathe through the pain as she had me perform other actions, testing my motor skills. But the more I moved, the worse the pain got.

"Holly? Holly!"

"What?" I snapped as the white lights finally began to fade.

"We were calling your name for the last minute or so," Pepper explained, looking worried.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking only at the green sphere of Nova's consciousness. "My head hurts, a lot."

"That's expected," Dr. Palmer said. "Don't worry; we're going to up the medication again. We had to turn the dose down so we could wake you up. We'll up it again as soon as you eat something."

"No," I said firmly. "I don't want any pain meds. I can handle it." There was no way I was going to voluntarily put myself in such an exposed position. No way.

Tony chuckled. "You don't have to show us how tough you are, kid. We know how tough you are. Your job is to rest now."

I shook my head, ready to explain that I wanted to be able to think clearly, and nearly vomited from the pain. "Too nauseous to eat," I finally managed to sputter.

"Either you eat, or we have to put a feeding tube back in," Dr. Palmer said flatly. At the look on my face, she smiled. "I'll have someone bring up food as soon as possible. I'm glad you're up, Holly." God, she annoyed me.

Pepper smiled at me. "I'll go get you some real food. It might be more appetizing." She left, and I slumped back against the pillows, knowing that I wasn't going to win the fight, but cranky enough that I still wanted to argue. I held Nova's chip in my hand tightly and looked down at the blankets.

"Natasha, Thor, Steve, and Clint really wanted to be here, but they're helping out with SHIELD stuff," Tony explained after a few awkward minutes. He and Bruce had moved chairs to my bedside.

I looked up and him and Bruce. "What about Wanda and Vision? Are they staying at Stark Tower now?"

"Yeah," Tony said, looking down. "They're getting stuff ready for a memorial service for Pietro."

For the first time, I remembered a clear scene from Sokovia. Pietro suddenly there, in the path of Ultron's ship. Him taking the bullets so Clint could live. The nausea increased tenfold. "Is Wanda doing okay?" I heard myself asking.

"As well as can be expected. Her brother was all she had left. She's taking it hard," Bruce explained, flipping through some of the pages in the folder he was holding.

"She's got us now," I said adamantly. "She's part of the Avengers now, right? She fought with us. And we're not just a team, we're a family."

"Yeah," Bruce said, sounding unconvinced. He stood up. "I'm going to go get back to work," he mumbled.

I watched him go. "What's wrong with him?" I asked Tony, crestfallen. I hoped all the Avengers didn't get this mopey after a world-saving battle, although I didn't blame them if they did. I couldn't even begin to sort through how I felt about it yet.

Tony moved his chair closer to my bed. "Holly, I don't know if you know this, but Bruce was piloting the QuinJet away from all of this when you grabbed him out of it. He wanted out; he views himself as a monster. You and I both know he's not," Tony added when I opened my mouth to argue. "But he does, and he's- he's tired of the fight, Holly. It's not fair to you that he's bitter about it; he still cares about you. And Natasha's relieved that you grabbed him. But give him some space."

I nodded. "I get it." And I did, even if I wasn't happy about it.

We were watching Disney Channel when Pepper came in with soup. Neither of us had wanted to watch Jessie, but as Tony had refused to let me watch the news (which told me that the world probably wasn't happy with the Avengers at the present moment and he didn't want me to hear them bashing us), this was the result. At least the show had a catchy theme song.

"Sorry, Holly," Pepper apologized. "Because you're in the ICU, and because you're so underweight, they're monitoring what you eat, so you're stuck with hospital food. But at least I got them to get it to you sooner."

"You know I'm not picky," I assured her as she placed it in a table and slid it over to me.

At first, trying to handle a spoon, my hands felt clumsy. But to my relief, after twenty minutes of effort, I felt like my motor skills were close to where they had been before Sokovia. At least it appeared that my motor skills weren't severely impaired, although my brain still felt scrambled.

"What's my prognosis?" I asked Tony and Pepper as I finished eating and began flipping through my chart. It hurt my head to read, but I didn't mention it. "I'll be okay, right?"

"Your neurologist told us that it was one of the most difficult surgeries he's ever performed. But based on how you've been doing, they say that you'll make a full recovery," Tony assured me.

I didn't notice Pepper creeping around to the side until after she had already hit the morphine plunger.

"Hey," I slurred as the drugs started to hit me. "Jerk."

"You're wincing every time you move your head, Holly," Pepper said sternly. She and Tony slid the guard rails on the hospital bed back in place. At least if I had a nightmare and thrashed around, I wouldn't fall and re-injure my skull.

My vision was going foggy now, and my head felt incredibly light. "Nova," I mumbled to Tony. "Keep Nova on."

Tony chuckled at his drugged-up daughter and kissed her forehead. "She'll be out for a few hours, at least," he told Pepper. "I'm going to go back to the Tower, clean up. Can you stay here?"

"Of course," Pepper assured him. "I brought a laptop- have to keep up on Stark Industries."

"Yeah, good," Tony said, running a hand through his hair and standing up. "Fury let me know that SHIELD is working closely with hospital security- she'll be safe, even though Coulson dropped the ball last time," he scowled. "The Avengers and I will be back within a few hours."

Back in Stark Tower, Tony and Bruce were analyzing the data from the multiple tests that had been run over the course of the last night. Fury had helped them set it up so that none of the data was anywhere but Tony's own personal server. He also made sure that all blood vials of Holly's were seized and any data the hospital had on them destroyed. Tony and Bruce didn't explain why they were running the tests, but this wasn't Fury's first rodeo with mutants; he knew what was at stake. "Just let me know your best guess about what her future looks like," he had told Tony gruffly. "Stark, you give me ulcers."

Seeing the lifeless, barely concealed terrified expression on Tony's face when he didn't even bother to come up with a witty remark, Fury had leveled him with a gaze. "You let me know whatever you need, Stark. Anything." After that, Tony couldn't help but trusting the guy a little bit more. Whatever charm that Holly had that gotten the Avengers to love her, it seemed to have worked on the hard-ass leader of SHIELD as well.

Dr. Foster, who was scared and guilt-ridden, but physically okay, was now working on Holly's case. All data collected during her stay so far went directly to Dr. Foster, and then she filtered out what the nurses and doctors could see and what they couldn't. Of course, some damage had already been done, and some of the doctors had seen the results of Holly's blood tests; luckily, the physicians had chalked it up to the result of the EpiPen abuse, and no one had checked to see that Holly's DNA itself had changed, and showed the incredible mutation.

While Bruce analyzed the medical data, Tony hacked into SHIELD and got all information regarding to Francis, the Weapon X project, and the other- test subjects. It appeared that this knock-off super soldier serum caused horrible physical defects. One subject had spikes shoot out of her back. Deadpool's skin was disfigured. But Holly had mutated and still looked like herself; just taller. Of course, Holly was not an adult like the other known test subjects; that could, potentially, have something to do with it.

After several hours of work, it appeared that Holly's body was working perfectly normal for a twelve year old. The only outlier was that she had grown rapidly, and it remained to be seen if she would grow at all anymore, grow at a slower rate, or keep growing at this rate. Due to the insane growth spurt, her bones were incredibly brittle, and Bruce pointed out that if it wasn't for the torture, she'd probably have been complaining about severe growing pains.

But she was still the exact same height as when they had admitted her- according to Bruce, this was a good sign. Potentially, she was done growing, and the mutation had just accelerated her growth to her 'adult' height sooner, although she still looked like a child.

Tony allowed himself to relax.

I was slowly walking around the room with Pepper and Dr. Palmer's help when my dad returned. Granted, they were actually doing most of the work, refusing to let go of me even when I told them I was fine, but still, I was up and moving.

"Looking good, kiddo!" Tony said with a broad grin.

I grinned back at Tony, who was freshly shaven and looked better than earlier. Less stressed out. "Hey, Dad! You look better."

Tony laughed. "I brought you some books. Is it okay if she reads them?" he asked Dr. Palmer.

She nodded, focused on helping me move back towards the hospital bed. "Yes, as long as reading doesn't hurt her head. If your headache gets worse, stop," she told me sternly.

I bit my tongue. Pepper had sternly informed me earlier to cut the tone, because apparently my neurologist was a narcissist and Dr. Palmer was the one that convinced him to take my case. In a way, even though it wasn't her performing the surgery, I owed her my life- or at least my brain function. Reading my chart earlier, I couldn't believe how bad my injury was. I just hoped no one associated my high cortisol levels with the fact that I had been shooting up with adrenaline. Although I had been useful, if not crucial, in the Ultron Offensive, I doubted that they'd be particularly thrilled if they knew how stupid I'd been about risking my health to fight. Of course, Steve, Clint, and Natasha probably knew by now that I had lied to them about not having a concussion when I was helping strategize. How unlucky had I been to have been hit in the same spot _twice_? I'd blame Deadpool.

"Good work, Holly," Dr. Palmer said when I was sitting back on the bed. "We can detach the intracranial pressure monitor for a bit, and a nurse can help you shower. Assuming there are no more complications, you should be able to be moved to a regular ward within a few days."

After I had cleaned up and changed clothes (I swear the nurses in this place had a dumb sense of humor- they had given me a pair of pajama pants to wear as well as a hospital gown, and of course the pair they gave me had Mjolner, Steve's shield, Dad's Arc Reactor, and Hulk's fist patterned on them), the Avengers showed up.

They filed in, and last, but not least, was everyone's favorite pirate. My grin turned into a grimace, and judging from the look on his face, I was about to get roasted. Grateful that Pepper hadn't put the guardrail of the bed back up yet, I slid to my feet and casually (I hoped) put my hand on the bedside table to steady myself. "Director Fury, sir," I greeted in what I hoped was a polite, obedient voice. Pepper and Dr. Palmer left- I assumed that they didn't have clearance to hear what he was about to say.

Oh, man. If looks could kill, I'd have been shot, buried, dug up, and then shot again for good measure. "You're insane," he said once the door slid shut behind Dr. Palmer and Pepper.

"I know! Isn't it great?" I asked cheerfully. My legs were starting to shake slightly, and I noticed that Natasha, Pepper, and Tony were sidling closer to me. Ready to catch me if I fell.

"Pardon me for my lack of excitement, but I'm not entirely thrilled that you decided to jump off the helicarrier. Or steal half of the EpiPens from the infirmary so you could drug up and _not_ pass out. Or disobey about fifteen direct orders from superiors."

Okay, so I was going to get yelled at. And judging from the expressions of the Avengers, they weren't happy with me either. I grabbed Nova's interface chip and started to twiddle it in my fingers. "I did what I thought I had to do," I said in a small voice. "I just wanted to help." My legs were shaking too badly to keep on my feet, and I sat back on the bed, my legs dangling over the side.

"You could have been killed," Natasha said in a gentle voice. Somehow, that made it harsher than if she had shouted.

"But I wasn't," I whispered, trying to stop my legs from trembling. Whether from exhaustion or fear, I didn't know anymore.

"You're in a hospital bed," Steve said flatly. "You came pretty darn close."

Fury cleared his throat, probably annoyed that Steve and Nat were stealing his thunder. "If you were already a SHIELD agent, you would be dismissed for these stunts. Seeing as you're not with SHIELD currently, with your mutant status, you should be imprisoned. Oh sit down," he snapped as Tony made a move. "Do you understand, Stark? There are rules here- you can't just break them!"

I didn't say anything and cowered a little as Fury shouted, just looking at my hands and turning Nova's chip around and around. No one spoke, but I felt all of their eyes on me. My reaction was stupid; no one was going to hit me, I knew that, but getting yelled at and then getting physical blows kind of just connected themselves in my mind. I couldn't help it.

"Hey, Holly," Clint said in a gentle voice. "We're not trying to gang up on you here. But what you did was dangerous and stupid and we just want you to know that and understand it so you don't try to do anything death-defying in the near future. I don't think your poor dad's heart could take it." When I didn't say anything, just kept fiddling with Nova's chip, Clint pressed on. "Would it make it better if Fury debriefed you one on one? He already debriefed us; but seeing as you were part of that mission too, you deserve to be kept in the loop."

I shrugged, refusing to look at anyone. Someone put their hand on my back. Tony. "If you need us, we're right outside," he said gently to me. To Fury, he growled, "Watch what you say."

I half-smiled, envisioning Tony kicking Fury's butt for being mean to me. I looked up at Fury as I heard the door slide shut. He was sitting down in Tony's vacated chair now, eye level with me as I sat on the bed. "Let's agree not to lie to each other," he said simply.

"Who said that I was going to lie?" I asked him coldly. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk, but I was scared. Stupid, stupid reaction to years of abuse. Fury wasn't going to physically hurt me. Especially not with my dad and the rest of the Avengers looking at us through the glass door. I clutched Nova's chip in my hand.

Fury gave a short laugh. "If I just yelled at you, you'd tell me that you were sorry for disobeying orders, that you wouldn't do it again, that you weren't thinking straight because of that concussion. Now you and I both know that's bullshit, Stark. You're not sorry. You would do it again without hesitating. And you knew exactly what you were doing the whole time." He folded his arms, leaned back, and grinned. "Now, tell me if I'm wrong."

I grinned back at him. Wondered if Fury had kids at home. Or if he was just used to all the Avengers pulling the same crap over and over again, and that's how he knew what I was planning. "I think what's important to remember here is that I had good intentions," I pointed out. "I wanted to save the rest of the Avengers, keep them from getting hurt. And Fury- the Customary Rules of Humanitarian Law? I followed them. The only person that I would have hurt with my actions is myself."

"Yeah, and that's kind of the problem, Stark," he said. "See, you asked me to join SHIELD. Well, we don't allow agents to just become cannon fodder. It's hard to find great candidates to become extraordinary agents and they're expensive to train. Everyone gets pretty sad and shit when an agent dies on a mission. Plus, I have to fill out paperwork. Stark, I swear, if you make me fill out your KIA paperwork because you did some stupid stunt…" he trailed off, looking more serious than I have ever seen him.

"Fury, sir, I did what was necessary. I helped save thousands of people." I didn't understand why they couldn't see that, or why they were so worked up. Sure, I had gotten hurt, but I would recover. The people of Sokovia wouldn't have, they'd be dead. The world could have been destroyed.

"Actually, you didn't. You did what you _thought_ was necessary." he crossed his arms. "The battle would have been fine if you hadn't joined it. We were headed there anyway; you're officially credited with getting ahold of us, gives you a good public image. But the Avengers would have handled Sokovia just fine without you, Stark."

Ouch, that kind of hurt. "But_"

"Stop." Fury but his hand up. "I'm not saying that you didn't help out; you did. But what you need to understand, get through that thick Stark skull of yours, is that there is a difference between a life spent and a life wasted."

I rolled my eyes. "Fury, don't throw cliche quotes at me. I get it; don't do anything dumb. So when can I join the Avengers officially?" I asked bluntly.

Fury surveyed me for a minute. "When you learn and understand the difference between wasting your life and spending it. Not to mention, everything you can do, the Avengers can do just as well, and most of them can do it better. Tony's a genius and has a suit. Steve and Natasha are both way better at hand to hand combat than you. You can't shoot a weapon more accurately than Clint. So tell me. What advantages do you have over them? Why shouldn't I just sit you in the command room and have you be a strategist for SHIELD?" He put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.

I didn't get offended. I knew he was right. "My mutation," I started off, but he cut me off.

"Maximoff's got a hyped up version of your mutation, Stark. Try again."

"So Wanda automatically gets a membership to the Avengers? That's just not fair."

"Life's not fair. So, besides your mutation_"

"Let me finish," I said, irritated. "When I was in the Red Room… when they finally triggered my mutation, I threw out all my energy in a wave and it killed the man that was in the room with me." I rubbed the side of my face. I hated admitting that. What if the man had a wife, kids? He was somebody's son, and I had killed him. "Then I did the same thing, but instead of killing Wanda, like I… tried… to do," that was hard to admit as well. I ploughed on, "It screwed with Wanda's powers to the point where Natasha, Steve, and Thor snapped out of whatever she was making them see _and_ caused the Hulk to change back. During the Ultron Offensive, I made a force field and channelled my energy to pilot my damaged suit. My point is, I don't know what I can exactly do with them, so until I can figure out how to control them, you shouldn't count that out." I had decided to keep the whole manipulating particles in other substances out of my argument. Some things I wanted to keep a surprise.

Fury had been listening to me talk. Slowly, he nodded. "Okay, so when you get a grip on them- try not to blow up New York figuring them out- then we can revisit that thought. If your mutation doesn't pan out to be useful, what else could you bring to the table?"

I answered immediately. "My youth." Fury raised his eyebrows. "Think of it- if I could go undercover, then I could find things out and sneak places that adults can't. No one cares about a kid begging on the street. I could overhear anything."

Fury looked at me passively. "You can't blend in. You look like a kid but talk like a prodigy. This is not enough to be an Avenger, not without training. So here's my dilemna, Stark. Your family is terrified for you right now because they know that you're going to want to fight HYDRA. They're talking about not keeping you informed or giving you tasks to keep you busy to protect you. And to be honest, I completely agree with them. But I also promised not to lie to you."

I looked at him and didn't say anything for a bit. It stung that the others thought of me as a weak kid that couldn't defend myself. But then again, it might just come with the territory of being on a team; I had went after the Black Widow, even though she definitely had _not_ needed my help. After a pause, I told Fury "I'm not a kid that needs to be protected."

"And that's where you're wrong, Stark." Fury leaned forward. "See, the Avengers want to protect you, because you haven't thought this far ahead yet. It's not necessarily your fault; I know you're smart, but this is stuff that you didn't even know existed until a few months ago. See, you're a mutant, a genius, and you're Tony Stark's daughter. There are those that want to kidnap you for ransom or to try to control the Avengers. The guys behind them want to exploit you. And right behind them are those that want to dissect you to figure out what about you allows you to manipulate energy. Now, out of those, which one sounds the best?"

I didn't answer, choosing instead to scrutinize the Nintendo characters on the walls.

"So here's the thing. Assuming you don't die anytime soon, you could be really useful in the future. So what you need to do now is be a good little girl and get healthy."

I thought about flipping him off. Really considered it. But the thing was, it sounded like Fury was on my side, at least a bit. Once I got healthy, he'd train me. It wasn't a promise to join SHIELD or the Avengers, but it was better than nothing. "Yes, sir," I muttered.

"Good," Fury said, standing up from his chair and gesturing to the Avengers that they could come back in. I stood up again and shook his hand. As they opened the door, Fury continued, "For the time being, you're going to be the absolute last line of defense. If you join the battle, it's because the world is going to end, and we're desperate enough to send a crazy twelve-year-old into battle because you'd die anyway if the world was destroyed." He turned to leave, but then faced me again and smirked. "Nice pants, Stark."

He walked out and the Avengers walked back in, but before I could sit back down, I was suddenly hugged, first by Natasha, then Steve, Clint, Bruce, and lastly Thor (who I think didn't really understood the Midgard custom, but just didn't want to feel left out). Tony hugged me again before helping me back into bed.

For the first time since I had been kidnapped, I cried. I wasn't really even sure why- I guess it was the fact that we were all here together and I didn't lose any of them. They didn't try to get me to stop crying, even though they all looked incredibly uncomfortable.

When I finally got ahold of myself after a minute, I choked out, "I'm so glad you're okay… they told me you were dead in the Red Room… I thought that Ultron would kill you guys…"

Natasha rubbed my back. I was glad she wasn't mad that my mistake had gotten her taken hostage. "It's okay, Holly. We're safe, you're safe, and we're gonna move forward."

Steve stood up from his chair and walked forward. "We do need to have a talk with you. Next time there's a skirmish, if you're involved, you follow orders, and you tell the truth to us, you understand? We found the EpiPens. Fury told us about your stunts on the helicarrier. Part of being on this team is trusting each other." His stern expression softened. "I'm glad you're okay, kid. I know that Fury already yelled at you. So, uh, I've got this pack of cards…"

The last of the time before visiting hours were over was spent joking and playing poker. Tony gave everyone real money to gamble with, but when I won the pot (I had actually been counting cards, but so was Tony, I just had the better hand), Steve immediately took fifteen dollars out of the forty I won. When I glared at him, Steve glared right back. "We've got a swear jar, now, remember? You gotta pay up. Fifteen is probably on the low side for all the curse words you've said."

I groaned in acceptance, and we started another hand. This one ended because although I was winning again, Clint realized that I was counting cards, so in a hissy fit of vengeance he hit my morphine plunger in an attempt to make my brain foggy. It worked, and I started to fall asleep again as a side effect of the drug. I protested and threatened to seal off the vent network in Stark Tower, but the nurse informed me that it would have automatically administered the drug ten minutes after Clint had, anyway. I'd hopefully remember to hack the stupid machine in the morning to shut that function off. Then I was going to break the plunger.

The Avengers and Pepper left when visiting hours were over, but Tony stayed. He flipped on Nova and put her chip on the table. I fell asleep observing her consciousness. Under the influence of morphine, it was pretty trippy.


	21. Going From Here

After nearly a week doing nothing but laying around and healing, I was bored in the hospital. That was an understatement.

Four days after surgery, my head didn't hurt so much anymore and I began to feel more and more like myself. Day five, they removed the ICP monitor and moved me to the general pediatrics floor instead of the PICU and cut the morphine completely, thank God. I hated the foggy feeling that accompanied it.

As soon as I recovered from the removal of the ICP monitor, I met with a SHIELD psychologist. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. I tried to avoid talking about what had happened at all costs. It was obvious that the guy wasn't good with kids, and I hoped that I wouldn't have to see him again. It seemed that he wasn't informed about my past in Tempe, and I was grateful for that. But he kept trying to needle me about what exactly had happened in the Red Room, and I just simply wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone. I wanted to pretend like it hadn't happened, like I wasn't mutated, like I couldn't feel the energy bubbling under my skin whenever my emotions got the better of me. I hadn't broken the hospital yet, at least.

It was hard to believe two weeks ago I hadn't been kidnapped. The torture from the Red Room, though it was still fresh in my mind, seemed insignificant compared to the screams of the citizens from Sokovia. Although I hadn't had a nightmare- probably due to the drugs they had me on- the screams, Pietro's death, and the face of the metal armed man from the Red Room haunted me in the dark hospital room before I fell asleep. The calming green glow from Nova's consciousness combined with Tony's snoring was the only thing that kept me calm enough to fall asleep.

During the day, I was able to ignore my dark thoughts to an extent. Some of the Avengers (minus Vision, he was staying with Wanda- I had been told that she was inconsolable during Pietro's memorial, and she was attached to Vision now in what I assumed was the same way I was attached to Nova ) would stay with me during visiting hours. Mostly it was Natasha, sometimes with Bruce, who were now openly dating, but usually everyone was there in the evenings and we'd play a board game of some sort.

I liked the visits, although them babying me was getting pretty irritating. For starters, they still didn't let me watch the news, although they informed me that world knew that I was Tony's daughter now. This had shocked me, but the only aspect of it that really upset me was that it would be harder for me to blend in now. I liked that Tony had apparently had a press conference and bragged about me for (Pepper told me) twenty minutes straight. I liked that he was proud that I was his daughter.

On the other hand, I had gathered from side comments the nurses and the Avengers made that the world wasn't exactly happy about Sokovia combusting miles up into the air. It was confirmed whenever Tony or Steve would abruptly change the subject whenever I tried to mention anything about the battle or training. I had a feeling that they didn't want to think about the civilians that didn't make it or the backlash from the rest of the world. I didn't blame them.

But what was bothering me most, more than the Avengers walking on eggshells around me, the fact that I couldn't suppress my memories, or the possible public's opinion of the Avengers, was the conversation I had with Fury. I knew that he was right in that I couldn't exactly help the Avengers. I was a kid. I didn't have much going for me, just what Natasha, Steve, and Clint had taught me in about six weeks' time and a mutation that I didn't really know how to use. The only thing that I had was my brain, which was going around in circles, trying to figure out how to move forward from here. I wanted to stay with my family, but I knew I needed to train. I needed SHIELD.

I didn't get an opportunity to tell the Avengers about my aspirations until a week after I had woken up. All of the Avengers (besides Vision; Vision couldn't exactly go out in public, being basically a floating death ray) were visiting me; Pepper was not. This was lucky for me; I knew that Pepper didn't see me as a genius-mutant-child; she just saw me as a child. That wouldn't help my case.

In celebration of the hospital finally letting me eat whatever I wanted, we were officially having the 'We Saved the World From Almost Ending' party. After the Battle of New York, they had apparently eaten shawarma; this time, it was a bunch of different French cuisine, which I decided wasn't my favorite but I didn't complain. The creme brulee was amazing, at least.

It wasn't until the food was almost gone that I found my opportunity. I had been quiet all night, trying to figure out how to approach the subject of me potentially getting trained as an Avenger. It was Steve that had brought it up.

"Sam got back to me this morning, by the way; he's in. October first, we're going in," he said casually.

I immediately zeroed in on their conversation, although I had previously been listening to Clint and Tony argue over who was going to win the College Football National championship; Clint was rooting for the Iowa Hawkeyes, while Tony said over and over again that he'd place money on USC. It was hard to ignore them; Clint was sitting by the head of my bed on the left, Tony on the right, and they were talking across me.

"I'm telling you, Barton, the only reason why you root for that second-rate team is because you're basically their mascot_"

"Stark, you went to MIT. Go root for their football team and leave mine alone- oh, wait. MIT's football team is a joke," Clint jested, throwing a piece of baguette at Tony's head.

I did my best to ignore the flying food and zero in on the conversation that Natasha and Steve were having. Wanda, who had previously been hanging out on the windowsill, also looked around in interest.

"Yeah, Rhodes said that he'd be in as well," Natasha said, trying to keep her voice low. "Sam, Rhodes, Wanda, and Vision. That'll be a good group. It'll be awhile before we can really integrate them into the team_"

"Wait, what?" I asked crossly, abandoning any hope of stealthily listening in on their conversation. Everyone else went quiet. "Wanda's joining the Avengers? Vision and Rhodey are too? And who the hell is Sam? But Fury and you guys won't let me join?" I knew that I sounded like a petulant child, but I didn't care at the moment. Didn't they trust me?

Tony stopped bantering with Clint and looked at me with an uncomfortable expression on his face. "Didn't we tell you that we're adding Rhodey, Vision, Wanda, and Steve's BFF Falcon to the Avengers team? No? Musta slipped my mind," he said, gesturing wildly.

I fixed him with the unamused glare that I had learned from Pepper. "And why wasn't I invited?"

"Oh, just the fact that you're twelve. And have a brain injury. And have a habit of making terrible decisions-"

"Hey, guys? Give us a minute?" Tony asked, cutting off Natasha mid-tirade.

"Yeah, sure thing," Steve said, hopping up. From the hasty way the rest of the Avengers trekked out, I could tell they knew it was about to be a battle between Tony and I.

The door closed and Tony and I were silent, contemplating each other with stubborn expressions on our faces. He had gotten to his feet and was pacing. I had my arms wrapped around my knees, Nova clenched in my right hand.

"I don't understand why you guys won't let me join the Avengers," I finally said, looking down at my knees. "Fury just gave me some answer about you guys not needing the skill set that I have. But Rhodey- he has a suit, Dad. The Avengers already has an Iron Man. What gives?"

"You want to know the real reason why you're not joining the Avengers?" Tony asked me bluntly. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "We can't trust you."

This stopped me cold. "What do you mean, you can't trust me?" I spluttered. "I did everything I could to help you guys stop Ultron-"

"Oh, we trust you to step in front of a bullet for us, sure," Tony continued, like I hadn't spoken. "But that's Rogers' gig. We need to be able to trust that you'll follow any order given, instantly. You do understand, that by disobeying us- by disobeying _me_ \- you could have died, right?" He started pacing.

"I fought with a concussion. So?" I sneered. "I've had to do a lot harder stuff, a lot more injured. Perks of the shit I went through why you were off being a playboy- I can work through the pain."

My words cut him; I could tell. I hadn't meant it like that. But before I could apologize, Tony slammed his fist on the table. I flinched.

"Okay, Holly? First thing; next time you swear, you're out of the lab for a week," Tony said testily. "Second thing, you don't live that life anymore. You _are_ safe here. Me, Pepper, and the rest of the Avengers- we're here to protect you. But you gotta work with us, Holls. You can't just throw yourself into the mix whenever you feel like it. You have to do your part to protect yourself, too. Your brain injury almost _killed_ you- it would have, if it weren't for Dr. Strange. Do you even understand what could have happened to you?" Tony asked, getting frustrated.

"Dad_"

"As it is, you can't fight now, anyway. If you get hit in the head, anywhere in the head, you'll go down, likely killed, instantly. It's too risky to even consider training you for any physical aspect of SHIELD now, maybe in a few months_"

"I understand," I interrupted him impatiently. "But HYDRA is still out there, still hurting people. We need to stop them. I need to be prepared for next time. I can wait until my head heals, but I am going to fight them." Why couldn't Tony see the bigger picture?

"There won't be a next time. Not for a long time," Tony said sternly. "Not until you're an adult."

"But Dad!" I exclaimed, running my hands over my face. "HYDRA_"

Tony stopped pacing, walked over, and stooped slightly so he was at my eye level. "Holly Maria Stark," he said, an uncurrent to his tone that made me realize he was close to losing his temper. "HYDRA would eat you alive. They would literally kick your scrawny butt into the next century. We're not gonna pick a twelve year old armed with a butter knife to send out when there's the Hulk next to her." He started pacing again. "Basically, what I'm saying is, you're not even close to being ready to go."

I took a deep breath. He was right. "I know. I understand. But when can I start training so that if there is a next time- even if that next time is when I'm an adult- I won't get my butt kicked?"

Tony sighed. "Holly, why do you have to join this fight? How come you want to?"

"I'm a mutant," I began.

"Oh, don't give me that," Tony snapped.

I glared at him. "I wasn't finished yet." He shrugged, gestured for me to continue. "I got kidnapped, and I have these mutant abilities, and I'm a genius. I could help people_"

"You could help people by becoming a bioengineer, too," Tony interrupted again.

"Dad, if you interrupt me one more time, I'm telling Natasha you're the one that ate her Red Vines."

He shot me a look of mock terror. "Fine. Continue."

"I could help protect people that can't protect themselves. I know that I can't yet, but if I trained... " I trailed off.

Tony looked careworn. "You can't physically fight because of your head. That doesn't exactly give you a lot of training options, kid. Besides, even if you didn't have a head injury, there's a lot of hoops you have to jump through to get into SHIELD. You now have to see a psychologist, for one. Then there's years of training. You can't just become an agent, just like you can't just become an Avenger."

"Wanda's joining," I muttered bitterly.

"Wanda's going to be trained to join," Tony cut me off as he sat down. "You know that even though she's being trained, it doesn't automatically give her a pass to join, right? She's gotta prove herself; just like Rhodey, Vision, and Sam. You know, I almost wasn't able to become an Avenger. Before New York, they rejected me for the Avengers Initiative."

That distracted me. "What? Why?"

He grinned ruefully. "Something about not playing well with others."

I sighed. It wasn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be; I wouldn't just be able to skip my way onto the team. "What next? Where do we go from here?"

"Well, there is some sort of training exercise you could do, but you're going to hate it," Tony said, smirking as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Bring it," I said in my toughest voice.

"Well, you need to figure out how to lie. How to blend in. So you go undercover. Fake name, change your appearance, pretend to be about fourteen- and you go attend high school."


	22. The Schism of SHIELD

I stared at him in disbelief. I had gotten my hopes up- going undercover had sounded really cool- but high school? If he was trying to make a dad joke, this won for his worst one. "Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, it says in your education records that you only attended one year of middle school and just did all your work online for high school. You have no idea how to be around kids your own age. Fury actually suggested it; I thought he was crazy at first, but he's right. Social skills, kid. You get a handle on them, you'll run the world."

I contemplated him for a minute, trying to keep my face smooth, trying not to panic. Kids my own age, to put it bluntly, sucked. All of the ones that I had met in Tempe were idiots, and most of them were jerks. But some part of me couldn't help but trust that Fury had a reason for suggesting that I go to high school; he wouldn't do it just to keep me out of the way. "Dad?" I asked quietly. "Do you think it's the best option for me?"

He shrugged. "I mean, it's either that or hanging out bored in the tower all day. We've all got a bunch of work to do. Side effect of blowing up a city. We'll have to work on the security; give you the most authentic experience possible, but we do need to make a contingency plan, just in case. And who knows? You might learn something. Home economics. Ceramics. You know, something new." The two of us regarded that statement before bursting out into laughter. As if there was anything that a high school could teach a Stark. Except, apparently, social skills. This was going to be interesting, considering everyone my age is socially awkward.

"Okay. I'll do it," I said, catching my breath and forcing my expression into a grin, even as I gripped Nova's chip to the point it hurt my hand. My dad didn't get it, clearly. He thought it'd be a fun time for me while helping me fit in with other kids. But Fury had to have a reason for suggesting it. Maybe Fury wanted me to learn social skills so I could actually go undercover somewhere else. Yeah. Maybe. "When will I start?"

"Next week, as soon as we get enough security measures into place. It'll be easy enough for you to slip in, even though the next school year's already started."

I kept my forced grin on my face. "Can't wait."

The Avengers had been waiting outside the door apparently, because Tony stuck his head out. "Guys! We're clear. And Holly's on board- she's Midtown High bound."

Tony walked into the hallway, the door closing behind him. As soon as he was sure Holly wouldn't be able to hear him, he told them, "She bought it, guys," in a low voice.

"I thought she was intelligent," Thor said.

Natasha punched him in the arm. "Hopefully, this will distract her while we're figuring out the stones and dealing with HYDRA factions. She shouldn't have to deal with this if there's a better option. Not so young."

"She helped save the world, no matter what Fury says," Steve stated. "She's a hero."

"Yeah, but us saving the world? That was yesterday's news. Now, it's all about how dangerous we are. We blew an entire city," Bruce reminded them grimly.

The Avengers came back in, and we continued our party, but it was tense. While it was awkward anyway, I decided I might at we'll get some more of my questions answered.

"Where did HYDRA come from, anyway?" I asked.

Steve froze. "Why do you want to know that?" He demanded.

"Well… I was kind of kidnapped by the psychos," I said, scratching my head near the incision site. "It'd be nice to know your enemy, you know? Even if I don't fight them yet."

It would be a comical scene, if I was in a laughing mood. The Avengers were frozen, each one exchanging glances. Communicating silently. So there was something they were keeping from me.

Steve sighed. "We might as well tell her. She's got a right to know. That okay with you, Tony?"

"It's okay with me," I butted in, irritated.

"Holly, this is stuff you aren't supposed to know," Tony explained. "Telling you… it could make you a target. Not necessarily by HYDRA, but by any party that wants to take down SHIELD."

"I'm already a target," I pointed out. "Mutant, genius, daughter of a billionaire, remember? Keeping it from me isn't going to make me less of a target. And it might help you guys; if you tell me stuff about HYDRA, it might trigger something that I saw in the Red Room, but didn't comprehend it because there were other pressing matters at the time. Maybe it'll help you guys take them down."

They were quiet. "Okay," Tony said. "Wanda might as well find out now, too. You're up, Capsicle."

The rest of the Avengers pulled up chairs, around my bed and sat down, except Steve, who stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the streets of New York City. I sat up straight in bed, with my legs crossed.

Without moving his eyes from the city, Steve began,"This is stuff that the public knows the bare minimum of. Now, just so you know, you are not getting the colored-in version. I think only Director Fury knows that one. This is just… the sketch. See, SHIELD works because no one knows everything. That way, if someone gets captured, they can't give us away. So if either of you two find out later that what we told you was wrong, or we omitted information, then it's not because we were intentionally lying." His eyes flitted toward us. His expression was cold. "Understand?"

Wanda and I nodded.

"HYDRA. Name's based off the mythological creature; you cut off one head, two more grow to take it's place." His gazed moved back toward the window as the Avengers started to fiddle with their phones. Clearly, they already knew this. My dad was watching me carefully.

"HYDRA came into play shortly after the rise of Nazi Germany; it's purpose is world domination." Steve punched his right fist into his left palm.

I snorted. Steve looked at me, his expression livid. "You think this is funny?"

I quickly shook my head as Wanda elbowed me. She was paying rapt attention. With a pang, I remembered that HYDRA hadn't just affected my life; it had affected everyone's here, to some extent. "No, it just sounds… surreal. Hard to grasp. I'm sorry," I apologized, sincere.

Steve relaxed a little, cleared his throat, and continued. "When the Nazis gained power, HYDRA member Johann Schmidt took over a Nazi weapons program and formed his own research division, naming it HYDRA-Abteilung. HYDRA-Division. They performed sickening experiments, not only within the scientific limitations of the time, but also dealing with the paranormal. The things they did…" he trailed off, bowing his head. Natasha slipped her phone in her pocket, got up from her chair, and put her hand on his forearm. "Hitler approved," he said bitterly, spitting out the name and shaking Natasha off.

"He developed incredible technology," Tony said, taking over the story. "You've heard of the Spanish Civil War?" he asked Wanda and I.

"Yeah," I said, at the same time Wanda shook her head.

Tony continued, "Wanda, basically, politics happened. Germany supported the Nationalists, and for a long time, the world thought the German Air Force was responsible for the complete destruction of the city Guernica. What actually happened was that Schmidt had developed exoskeleton suits for soldiers to wear, and they wreaked havoc. A British agent_"

Steve cut him off. "Her name was Peggy Carter. She eventually managed to smuggle footage to the United States; that's how we knew what HYDRA was doing, what they were capable of. World War II broke out, and Hitler's Germany was crushing his enemies with the weapons that HYDRA provided them."

I looked at them, amazed. How many events in my world history textbook was influenced by HYDRA and SHIELD?

Steve was silent for a minute. I knew for him, this wasn't a history lesson. This was his past, and it was as real reliving it for him as Tempe was for me. Suddenly, it didn't sound as surreal, and part of me wished that I hadn't even brought it up. Steve was brave enough to give me a play-by-play of his past. How come I couldn't even tell my father the details of what had gone down in Tempe, in the Red Room?

When it became apparent that Steve either couldn't or wasn't going to continue, Tony took over again. "Luckily, while Germany and the Axis powers had HYDRA, we had Stark Industries. My father was targeted by HYDRA assassins, but managed to fight them off with the help of a colonel, who was trying to recruit him. Dad decided to join the Strategic Scientific Reserve, which was formed by President Roosevelt even before the US joined the battle. FDR knew what was at stake."

"Also called the SSR," Natasha chimed in. "Later, this would be absorbed by SHIELD."

"And their goal was to create an army of super soldiers," Steve finished quietly.

"But something went wrong," I half-asked, half-stated. "There's only one Captain America."

"I'll get to that. The US wasn't the only one in the race to create the perfect soldier. Meanwhile, in Germany," Steve continued,"Scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine was also developing a super soldier serum. Schmidt forced Erskine to inject him with it, but it only half worked; it gave Schmidt abilities, but the serum was unstable, so it also disfigured his face and drove him insane. Agent Carter went in and rescued Erskine from Schmidt, and Erskine joined the SSR." He took a deep breath. "Erskine overheard me practically begging a recruiter to allow me to enlist. He pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to kill Nazis," he said with a short laugh.

"What'd you say?" Wanda asked.

"I said that I didn't want to kill anyone, but I didn't like bullies, and I didn't care where the bullies were from." Steve's expression was icy.

I felt a cold thrill rush through me. Steve didn't care who the bullies were, he'd eliminate them regardless. But he's Captain _America_. What if the United States, or SHIELD, was, in Steve's eyes, the bully? Would he turn on them?

Would he turn on the Avengers?

"Holly, are you with us?"

I snapped my attention to Natasha. "Yeah," I said, irritated. I was just thinking.

"You've been zoned out and Steve just asked you a question, which you didn't respond to," Tony said, worried. All of the Avengers, besides Wanda, were looking at me like I might break. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah! I'm just thinking about what's going on in the story, okay?" I snapped, irritated. "Sorry, Steve. Can you repeat the question?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Bruce asked, coming forward with a flashlight. He shined it in my eyes, and I pushed his hands away.

"Guys, I'm fine! I just zoned out a bit. Steve was saying how he met Dr. Erskine."

All of the Avengers looked suspicious- minus Thor, who looked unbothered as always- but Steve continued.

"Alright, I'll backtrack a bit. So yeah, Dr. Erskine. He got me enlisted in what was called Project Rebirth. Eventually, after a test_"

"A superior officer threw a grenade at them, and Steve jumped on it to protect the rest of his squad, not knowing it was a fake_" Natasha interjected.

I guess that's what Tony had meant earlier, with jumping in front of bullets being Steve's thing. Although I probably wouldn't jump on a grenade for anyone; I'd figure out how to keep it from exploding.

Steve continued on, looking slightly embarrassed. "They picked me to be the test subject. After I was transformed into Captain America, a HYDRA spy tried to steal the super soldier serum, but the last remaining vial of the serum broke. Erskine was killed. He was the only one that knew how to make it. That's why there's just me."

Tony picked up the story. "HYDRA was growing,getting more powerful, thanks to Schmidt- aka, the Red Skull. Soon, Schmidt's followers were more loyal to him than they were to Germany. HYDRA ended up storming Norway, where they found the tesseract."

"How dare they lay a hand on Asgardian_"

"Yeah, Sparky, we know," Tony cut Thor off before he could go off on his tirade. "So, there was this dude called Arnim Zola that funded HYDRA. He also drew up these crazy plans for armor, vehicles, and weapons that wouldn't work because they required too much power. Schmidt hands off the tesseract to Zola, and boom, he's suddenly got that power source."

"That's where I came into the story as a soldier," Steve interected. "By the spring of 1943, HYDRA had millions of soldiers and several factories and bases. Me and a team of highly trained soldiers attacked them, over and over again. Eventually, we captured Zola." His gaze was far away, his expression pained. All of the Avengers were completely silent. "The last fight, I faced off with Schmidt in one of the planes that Zola had constructed. He was on his way to bomb major US cities with the aide of the tesseract. When he tried to use the tesseract to beat me, he ended up killing himself. The tesseract was so hot from that, when Schmidt dropped it, it melted through the floor of the plane and dropped into the ocean."

"Foolish mortal," Thor scoffed, interrupting Steve. Clint thumped him.

Steve continued on, like he hadn't been interrupted. "Now, I was left on a plane that was carrying weapons of mass destruction, and I had no idea how to control it. The controls had been damaged when I was fighting with Schmidt, anyway. So I crashed the plane into the ocean."

I was silent. As much as everyone teased Steve for being such a goody-goody, I was impressed by him. He made the hard choice, and he did it instantly, without any attempt to save himself.

"That must have been really hard on you, making that decision," Wanda said quietly.

Steve shrugged. "HYDRA was defeated. The world was safe. That was the main thing."

Everyone was quiet, but I couldn't hold in my questions anymore. "Wait, if HYDRA was defeated, then how'd they kidnap me? How'd Loki get the tesseract if it was in the bottom of the ocean? And_"

"The story's not finished yet, Holls," Tony said with an amused smirk. It fell from his face as he tried to form words. "SHIELD is… well, it was… HYDRA…"

"HYDRA spies bided their time, got in positions of power, and then struck when SHIELD was weak," Natasha said bluntly. "SHIELD fell last year. It doesn't exist. Nick Fury sort of died and Coulson came back from the dead."

My head started to throb as I tried to process this. "But…" I felt a horrible pang in my head. "Okay, I knew it, I did actually die in the Red Room," I half-joked, crossing my arms.

The Avengers laughed nervously, like it wasn't exactly funny, but they didn't know what else to do.

I pressed the hand that wasn't holding Nova to my face and gripped my hair. "I didn't know SHIELD fell, I didn't know_"

"It was all over the news," Wanda cut me off. "How didn't you realize it?"

"Worrying about world politics is something that you have the luxury of doing when you know where your next meal is coming from," I explained to her, trying not to snap. I had forgotten that while the Avengers knew about my past, and why I was behind on current events, Wanda probably didn't. "I was too busy trying to graduate, trying to survive. I could give a rat's ass about what was going on in the world last year," I finished irritably.

"Language!" Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Tony all said, Steve genuinely, the rest mockingly.

"Oh, shut up," I said with a grin at all of them. "So, SHIELD… fell? It's not a thing now? But Fury_"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, we were all weirded out too, kid. Actually, we were pissed when we found out Coulson _was_ alive, because Fury lied to us about that. But technically, he would be dead, if it wasn't for Project- you know, what, never mind," he said, shaking his head.

My interest spiked. Project what? What could possibly bring people back from the dead?

Tony was talking again, and I forced myself to focus. "Basically, it's a new SHIELD now. They're building it back up slowly, with people they can trust. Meanwhile, HYDRA is running rampant throughout the world, and there aren't very many people left that we can trust. This is why it's important for you guys to keep this secret- the world does NOT know that SHIELD is still alive and kicking. The US government is taking credit for Fury's helicarrier, a fact that he's not exactly thrilled about, but better than the alternative. HYDRA is trying to destroy the remaining factions of SHIELD, but they don't even know how organized we've become in the year since SHIELD technically fell."

I felt my brain imploding. This was so weird. "So, we have to destroy HYDRA," I said matter of factly. "And… we don't know exactly who or where they are, or how many of them there are, or if some are pretending to be SHIELD agents." Oh, man. This was so much bigger than my own personal vendetta. "Who exactly is on our side? The Avengers, Coulson, Fury- do we have the numbers to take down HYDRA?"

"We can't tell you the specifics, obviously. If you got captured… but we can tell you that there's us_"

"_Well, obviously there's us," Tony interrupted Steve, rolling his eyes.

"But we defend the Earth. Active agents defend citizens. Then there's the agents still at the SHIELD Academies. The Compound, where we're going to be headed next month. And then Coulson's leading a small strike force of highly trained agents in singular missions," Steve informed me. "No one knows everything, except maybe Fury, although technically, Coulson is the acting director now, since most people think that Fury is dead. The Avengers, we aren't technically SHIELD, but we work with them. For the last few months, we've been trying to find the scepter that Loki used in the Battle of New York. Now… well, we've got that taken care of."

"So, what's next?" Wanda asked.

"Fury gave us all a month off before we split and go work for a living; we're taking it," Tony said adamantly. "Unless there's some sort of world-threatening crisis, but I feel like those can only happen max once a year, so we're good."

Everyone started to laugh even though it wasn't funny, but stopped when I asked, "Why didn't you guys tell me this when you were training me? I might have been able to_"

"To give away information?" Clint asked. Thor thumped him (Probably as payback for earlier), but Thor was a lot stronger; Clint was nearly knocked off his feet.

"That, and we didn't want to scare you," Steve said, trying not to smirk as Clint righted himself.

"Well, you're not wrong. I am scared. Yikes, scary snake people out to get us." I faked a yawn, trying to hide the fact that my brain was racing at a million miles an hour to make sense of what I had just been told. "Let's play Uno."

After another hour, with me forcing myself to be cheerful and compliant, the Avengers left, and my dad went to go talk to the doctor one more time before we both crashed. Immediately, I flipped on Nova's consciousness. Focusing on the green sphere helped calm the turmoil that was going through my mind right now.

"HYDRA is so much bigger than I thought," I told Nova.

"Yes, well what did you expect?" came Nova's snarky response.

"I dunno. I guess I thought the Avengers could do anything if they could stop an alien invasion."

We were both quiet for a minute.

"So, we're headed to high school?" Nova asked, sounding forlorn, getting straight to what was bothering me.

I smiled. Tony had built her to be _my_ AI, not just anyone's. She sounded exactly like I felt about it, although I felt stupid being upset about going to high school when there was a crazy group of terrorists trying to take over the world. "I guess so. But maybe it'll be okay." I couldn't keep the doubt out of my voice.

"You'll be bored out of your mind, you mean," Nova corrected me.

"Well, I could do what Tony suggested. Practice blending in. Maybe I'll make a friend."

"You don't even really like other people," Nova argued.

"I like the Avengers," I disputed. "It's not my fault most other people are stupid. I've got to gain the Avengers' trust back, and I've got to show that I'm willing to obey orders, even if I don't like it. This is a good place to start."


	23. Home Again

I was discharged late the next afternoon; Pepper had brought me new clothes, an Abercrombie tank top and jean shorts, and although I wished that they were sweats, I was I was grateful to Pepper and thankful for the nicer clothes when I saw the crowd of paparazzi swarming the door. "They're not waiting for me, are they?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Tony nodded grimly. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

I held my head high. "Well, I'm a Stark. I can deal with it; we can deal with anything, right? Evil robots or evil camera-bearing people."

Pepper snorted and shook her head. "No, we're not going that way. We're meeting Happy out a side entrance."

It was surreal being back in Stark Tower after everything that had happened. Everything was the same; Tony had already had everything repaired. The only changes were that Wanda and Vision now had their own floors.

Besides a small headache whenever I looked at a screen or read for too long, it appeared that the only physical damage that I had from the ordeal was the gashes on my back. They were stitched up and almost healed, so at least I didn't have to worry about them tearing open again, but the gashes itched like crazy and I'd have some killer scars. I guessed that I wouldn't be wearing a swimsuit without some weird stares anytime soon, if ever. I wasn't too worried about it.

It became clear that Dr. Foster was still going to be giving me physicals, even though I had been discharged. After the pizza that Tony had ordered in celebration of me being home was demolished, she took me into the infirmary and did the usual routine.

From small talk, I gathered that apparently she was now living with Thor on his floor. Well, at least my dad wouldn't constantly worry about Thor heading back to Asgard now.

I was used to the routine with Dr. Foster, and it was actually kind of comforting. "You know, I think you're going to be my last medical patient," she said conversationally as she was checking the lacerations on my back.

"Why? You really had something going with your tissue generator." The reasoning struck me like a bus. "You can't be blaming yourself for Ultron's vibranium body?"

She didn't say anything, just pulled the back of my shirt down over the lacerations and turned to mark something on my chart. "Okay, go stand against the height marker over there," she said after she finished writing, totally ignoring my question.

I obediently walked over and put my back against the wall, pulling the lever down so it was tight against my head before ducking out.

It showed five inches taller than the last time she had given me a check up, the day before I was kidnapped. "That can't be right," I muttered, stepping forward to go under it again.

Dr. Foster caught my arm. "It's right," she said, her voice guarded. "It seems like that serum gave you a hell of a growth spurt."

"What?" I exclaimed. "But… but I would have noticed." I looked down at my hands, my arms, my legs. How had I grown overnight but not even noticed?

"Well, you were in a lot of pain, handcuffed to a bed, and a little preoccupied," Dr. Foster shrugged. "I'm not surprised that you didn't notice. You haven't grown at all since you were admitted to the hospital; the serum likely just accelerated a growth spurt that you were already having. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Easy for you to say, it's not your body," I snapped, hearing the panic in my voice. I started pacing. "If I didn't notice this, what else didn't I notice? What if I never grow again? What if_"

Dr Foster interrupted my rant. "Holly, trust me, we've already thought about this. Bruce, Tony and I have analyzed every bit of data from every test done on you. If there was anything to worry about right now, we'd tell you."

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" I asked, frustrated. "Come on!" They all had known about my crazy growth spurt- that's why Pepper had bought me the new outfit to go home in, because I'd outgrown everything else. That, and Pepper just liked to shop. They were keeping things from me?

"Well, you were asking to join the Avengers every two seconds, so it didn't come up," she snapped back.

I realized that I had been being extremely rude to Dr. Foster. She was only trying to help. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I just… I'm annoyed at myself that I didn't think of this before. I'm supposed to be a genius. Of course that serum wouldn't give me magic powers; the biological science behind it…"

She gently covered my mouth with her hand. "I have no doubt that you're gonna research this topic to death, but right now, it's late, and you're dead on your feet. Get to bed."

"No, wait; what did you find? Can I see the results?" I asked.

Dr. Foster hesitated. That told me all I needed to know; they were hiding something from me. If I truly was okay, then it wouldn't be a big deal for me to see the results. "I promise you that there's nothing in there that you need to see," she finally answered. When she saw that I wasn't going to respond, she pressed on, "Holly, what you need to focus on is getting a handle on your mutation. Let the scientists handle the rest. And if we do find something, we'll tell you. Go get some rest." she shot me a snarky grin. "And at least you're over five feet tall, now. You probably won't get mistaken for a ten year old."

I seriously considered stabbing her with a hypodermic needle, but laughed instead.

After stopping by the common area to say goodnight to the Avengers and Pepper, I headed to my room, which, surprisingly, had changed. There was a new, updated StarkTech laptop computer, plugged in and ready on my desk, and there was a new bookshelf stuffed with books on topics such as biomechanical engineering, neuroscience, psychology, military history, strategic planning, Norse mythology and war tactics, among others. A white, thick looking card with fancy type lay on top of the bookshelf.

 _Enjoy. Your AI knows how to get ahold of me, if you need anything else. -Patchy_

I grinned. Nick Fury, it appeared, remembered his promise; he wasn't just going to keep me out of the way. For whatever reason, he wanted me to learn whatever was in these books. But I'd have to start tomorrow; my head was hurting, and I was tired. Nurses checking my vitals every hour while I was in the hospital wasn't exactly a recipe for a good night's sleep. Plus, Tony snored pretty fiercely.

When I lay down and shut off the lights, my room was blacked out except for the green light of Nova's consciousness. In the hospital, it had never been completely dark, and I didn't want to wake up before daylight and not be able to see. It'd remind me too much of the Red Room, and I wanted to avoid thinking about that.

I stretched out and folded my arms behind my head. Although it felt weird to be back at Stark Tower, it also felt incredible; it felt right to be in my own bed right now, surrounded by the Avengers. It was home. So why did I feel so stressed out?

Oh, yeah. As much as I tried to pretend to the others that I wasn't worried… _High_ school. Middle school was awful enough. Being picked on in school, being beat up at home… yeah, school's a picnic. I wonder if kids in New York are worse than kids in Arizona. I wonder if I'd be put in accelerated classes or if they'd put me in the normal courses. Sitting still for seven hours. Being surrounded by hormone-driven teenagers. Midtown High. Ugh.

I woke up sometime later, heart hammering, trying to blink away the face of the metal-armed man. At least it appeared that I hadn't been screaming; Tony and Pepper would have run in if I had been.

The green glow cast by Nova's consciousness was more creepy than comforting now. "Friday, lights," I mumbled.

I squeezed my eyes against the harsh lighting for a moment before I opened them again, threw off the covers and got out of bed. Trying to go back to sleep was pointless. I didn't want to go back to visit the Red Room or Tempe in whatever sick scenario my subconscious had planned for me. I hadn't had a nightmare since the night before I mutated. What the hell? I was safe here, I knew that. Tony had fixed the security setting that allowed SHIELD to hack in; now, you couldn't get onto the living floors of Stark Tower without a retina scan or being expressly invited up by one of us. And if Friday sensed they were dangerous, Friday could override, lock down the tower. I was completely safe. So why was I so stressed out, when logically, I was safe?

I had to get out of my room right now; I felt so claustrophobic. Pocketing Nova, I headed into the living room of the Stark floor.

I knew that Tony had probably already taken away my access to the gym, since I was supposed to be staying away from all strenuous physical activity for at least another week, but maybe a movie would help take my mind off of things. A comedy. Or a horror movie. Maybe The Conjuring would make me feel better about my own life right now. At least Stark Tower wasn't haunted by an entity, just an AI. No demons here but my own, and every other Avengers'.

I walked off of our floor and into the elevator. I didn't want to watch the movie on our floor, because I didn't want to wake Tony and Pepper up. They'd try to get me to talk about it, the exact torture I had been put through, and I couldn't. I wouldn't even know where to start. And telling them wouldn't convince them I was fine, it'd only make them worry. So I wouldn't tell them anything.

I stepped out of the elevator and was surprised when I saw that there was someone sitting at the kitchen counter. I had thought that it was so late that everyone would be in bed. The only light on was the dim one above the kitchen sink, but New York City was never dark, and the city lights shining through the windows was enough that I could clearly make out the form of Steve Rogers.

With a shock, I realized that he was drinking, sitting at the kitchen island. Not a beer- I could smell it, the straight liquor on the rocks. What my mom and stepfather would drink on the regular.

He looked over at the elevator and saw me before I could escape. I wondered if he was mad at me for bringing up HYDRA last night. I wondered if he lost control when he was drunk, if he'd hurt me. I braced myself, ready to run or fight, even though the thought that I could outrun or hold my own against Captain America was laughable.

"Nightmare?" he asked, his voice calm, no trace of the frustration from the night before coloring it. But his face was haggard, and his shoulders slumped, like the weight of the world was on them.

I nodded, still frozen just outside the elevator. The doors slid shut behind me.

"Well, come sit down. You're too young to drink, but I could get you some hot chocolate or something," he suggested tonelessly, trying and failing to smile.

"Um, sure," I said, slowly walking toward the island and sitting down on the barstool next to his. It didn't sound like he was angry, just sad. What kept Golden Boy up at night? Demons from the present day, or demons from the forties? What did Captain America have to be afraid of?

I quickly scrambled scenarios in my head, each more unlikely than the last. What could make Captain Happy Pep Talk look like this? What had happened?

Once I had a mug of hot chocolate, Steve picked up his drink and leaned forward against the counter across from me. He shook his head. "Wish you wouldn't have see me like this. Talking about everything last night brought stuff back up. Just… when you've seen the things I've seen, the nightmares all kind of blend together. All but one. I got my best friend killed, when we were ambushing a HYDRA train," Steve informed me. "Well, I thought he was dead. Turns out he's just a mindless drone." He glanced up, like he just realized that it was me, a kid, that was listening. "Sorry, Holly. I don't want to scare you."

"I'm not scared, I've seen some sh_ some stuff too." I took a sip of hot chocolate, hoping I looked casual. Steve hadn't mentioned his friend last night at all. So that's what was keeping Steve up tonight; guilt. I didn't blame him.

"Right," he said, sounding skeptical. He swilled the ice in his drink around, trying to look anywhere but directly at me, apparently.

I immediately felt my temper flare and my energy sizzle beneath the surface. The Red Room didn't count for anything? Sokovia didn't count for anything? Hell,did he think that _Tempe_ didn't count for anything? Oh, man. I couldn't break Tony's kitchen. And maybe he didn't mean it like that. Taking a deep breath, I told him, "Seriously. It's okay. I can handle whatever's on your mind."

Steve just shook his head. "It's old news, Holly. It happened over seventy years ago. What's keeping you up tonight?"

I slowly put my cup down, trying to think of something witty to say. I didn't want to talk about the metal-armed man; I didn't want the Avengers to know the extent of the torture. Medically, I was fine; telling them what I had gone through would only make them pity me, and I didn't want that.

Instead, I decided on something that was sort of like the truth. "High school. I never went, you know? Only did online courses. Is it true they shove people into lockers?"

Steve gave a short laugh. "All the time."

I stared at him, my stomach dropping. "You're joking, right?"

"Well, you know my story. Used to be super scrawny. Thanks to your grandfather and Erskine, I'm the man I am today." Steve drained his drink.

I arched my eyebrow. "Are you trying to get drunk?" I blurted, before I realized it was probably rude to ask that.

He snorted. "I can't get drunk. The serum prevents it. Sometimes, I wish I could." He looked at me sharply. "I mean, alcohol is bad for you. It doesn't solve any problems, it_"

I covered his mouth with my hand. "Relax, Steve. You don't need to give me the drugs and alcohol talk," I joked.

Steve laughed, too, before straightening up and saying, "I'm going down to the gym. You should go back to bed once you finish that up."

"Can't I come with you?" I begged. Beating the crap out of a punching bag would probably help me forget about the stupid metal-armed man and his torture room.

He gave me a stern look. "You know you're supposed to rest." He put his glass in the dishwasher and headed for the elevator.

"Steve!" I called to him just before he stepped in. He turned. "I'm sorry about your friend."

He gave me a half smile and stepped into the elevator.


	24. Chapter 24

Tony emerged from his workshop and stumbled into the communal living room/kitchen area the next morning. It was early, so early that the sun hadn't risen yet, so he hadn't been expecting anyone up except maybe Pepper. However, the sight that greeted him was an odd one; Holly was fast asleep on the couch and Clint was cooking breakfast.

Clint gave him a nod when Tony shot him a confused look and then gestured to the coffee pot, which was full. Gratefully, Tony poured a cup before leaning against the counter and watching as Clint lay bacon on the griddle. "Has Holly been on the couch since you've been up?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake her up. She probably had a nightmare; all of the Avengers were expecting it. Hell, he had already had some of his own over Sokovia.

"Yeah, probably had a nightmare and then fell asleep there. TV was on, I turned it off." Clint put down the spatula and crossed his arms as the bacon sizzled. "Were you in the workshop all night?"

Tony sipped his coffee. "Yep. Working on giving Holly her own workshop. I think it how messy my space is freaks her out," he grinned. "And she's probably going to want to make improvements to her suit."

Clint groaned. "Pepper knows about this, right?"

Tony just chuckled. "Completely. Although Pepper seems to think that Holly will only be down there with Bruce's supervision… like I'm not capable or something," he ended with a scoff.

Clint lowered his own coffee cup, looking at Tony incredulously. "You built your daughter a weapon of mass destruction."

Tony shrugged nonchalantly, but there was pride in his voice as he stated, "It was supposed to be a way to get her to a safehouse. Not my fault that she hacked it."

There were a few moments of silence as he and Barton drank down some coffee and the bacon cooked. Tony never had thought Clint of all people would be able to give him parenting advice, but now that he knew Barton had two kids of his own, he realized that he was one of the few that he could voice some of his fears to. "Do you think we should have her go back to school?" Tony asked. She already graduated, but I mean, kids like routine, and that's a routine, right?"

Clint nodded, flipping the bacon over. "Yeah, yeah, that's a good start. And also, forget being able to blend in with other kids- she doesn't just need to blend in with them, she needs some friends. She can't just hang around with us all the time."

Tony shook his head. "I agree with you, but take it from another genius; it's hard to impossible to find people who can think on our level." He shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck before blurting, "It's not just that. I'm worried that she's already been through too much to have something even close to normal anymore. One of SHIELD's top psychiatrists, you know, Garner, the guy that evaluated her in the hospital- he confirmed the PTSD, did you know that?"

"I could have guessed it, yeah."

"I got the report last night," Tony said, ignoring Clint. "She's not okay, even though you see how hard she's trying to be_"

"Has she told you any details of what exactly happened in the Red Room yet?" Clint asked as he moved the bacon strips onto a plate and started to pour the pancake batter.

Tony hesitated. He trusted Clint, he trusted all of the members of the team. "Garner pointed out that the physical symptoms of torture were extreme to the point that she probably dissociated during most of it."

"So she might not even remember exactly what happened?" Clint asked.

Tony shook his head. "She probably doesn't, although she definitely remembers enough. Explains why she hung on so long in Tempe, too. I guess it might be for the better for her in the long run."

"You still going to make her see Garner?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Of course. Do you really think I'm that bad at parenting?"

"Good morning," came a quiet voice before Clint could respond. Tony turned and saw Wanda walk into the kitchen. The poor kid looked awful; grief was carved into her features. He was glad that he could at least give her decent living accommodations and that she was making a friend out of Vision, but he wished he could do more. He had really pushed for them to use the same stuff on Pietro that they used on Coulson to bring him back to life, insisting that the TAHITI project was for a fallen Avenger, and Pietro qualified as an Avenger, but no luck- according to Fury, there wasn't any left.

"Good morning, Wanda," Clint said brightly. "Pancakes, eggs, and bacon this morning. Being that I'm the only one that actually has kids, I can sort of cook, so it should be edible."

"Hey!" Tony said, affronted. "I have a kid." He gestured to Holly.

"Well, you also have access to catered food, so shut up."

"Thanks," Wanda said with a smile at Clint and Tony's banter.

A loud thump came from the living room.

I felt myself hit the ground and groaned. I hadn't meant to fall asleep on the couch. Maybe I could still sneak back to my room. Pretend like I had gotten a great night's sleep.

Sitting up, I saw that sneaking back to my room was impossible. Clint, Tony, and Wanda were all staring at me with amused expressions and there was the unmistakable smell of bacon in the air.

I tried to grin shamelessly, hopping up off the floor, praying they wouldn't ask me why I was asleep on the couch instead of in my room, although they had probably already guessed. "Tell me anyone but Dad's cooking the bacon. Wanda, I don't know how much you know about life in the Tower, but my dad can't cook _anything._ My first morning here he burnt toast."

Tony and Clint laughed. Wanda didn't. I realized now that her face seemed to be carved out of stone- wow, was I an idiot or what? She was still grieving for Pietro.

"Nice try short stuff, trying to pick on me to keep us from picking on you," Tony jested.

I shot him a glare as Clint elbowed Tony. "Don't worry, Holly- I'm making it. Hey- you and Wanda want to run down to the corner market? We're out of Pop-Tarts and orange juice. Thor and Nat will complain, and I don't want to deal with those two so early."

A trip out of the tower? I had never been out of the tower without one of the Avengers before. Not necessarily because they didn't let me; there just hadn't been a need to. Although I supposed that Wanda kind of counted as one now. I looked at Tony, waiting for confirmation that this was okay, but Tony didn't say anything, so I asked the obvious. "Hydra kidnapped me from this Tower_"

"Before I upgraded security, don't worry_" Tony interrupted.

"_and you want me to go run around the streets of New York City?"

Clint shrugged. "You can't stay in this tower forever. It's early enough that no rush hour hasn't started, and the market is about 76 meters from the door of Stark Tower. Besides, we don't need to worry about hiding you from the world anymore; every knows you exist. You'll be fine."

I grinned, trying to hide the wave of anxiety that I felt. Leaving the tower, not just without my father, but without another Avenger? With someone who I barely knew? Not wanting to sound like a coward, I told them, "Sounds good. Will you make cinnamon rolls for our valiant efforts?"

Clint snorted. "If we have them," he promised.

I saluted . "Then sure! Let me get dressed first." I bolted off to the elevator.

"Clint?" Tony said once Holly had run off, an edge to his tone. He was not thrilled, even though he agreed with Clint- Holly couldn't stay in the tower forever, and she would have to leave anyway for school. But he didn't want to make Holly mad at him, especially when she had seemed so excited.

"It's to the corner," Clint reassured him. "They'll be back in five minutes. Two energy mongers have nothing to fear. And Wanda won't let Holly get into any trouble, right?"

Wanda smiled a little. "Don't worry, Mr. Stark. We'll be fine."

Tony sighed, but said nothing else. He had seen the brief flicker of panic in his daughter's expression; better a small excursion to start off with, with someone familiar, than having to be alone without them for eight hours. Although he was still working on those security measures...

A few minutes later, Holly walked out of the elevator, looking sheepish. She was wearing the shorts from yesterday and a black sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Um, Holly? At the risk of sounding too parent-y, go put on long pants. It's, like, fifty degrees out."

She gave an embarrassed laugh. "I can't. All of my pants are too short for me. By like, four inches."

Tony felt like an idiot. He couldn't believe that he'd forgotten that she'd grown because of the serum. He hadn't bought new clothes for her yet. "Looks like you and Pepper need to go shopping," he said, smirking at her indignant expression. Tony smiled at her a little, trying to hide his panic. Might as well pull a Rogers- he took her sweatshirt hood and flipped it up over his daughter's black hair. "Wanda, you have your phone?"

She nodded, putting on a baseball cap. Tony handed her a twenty. "See you guys in a bit," he said easily, trying to pretend like he wasn't going to ask FRIDAY to hack every security camera on the block to keep an eye on them.

Tony didn't fool me- he was nervous to let me go out alone. Part of me felt like this was a test of some sort, although I couldn't imagine why. I thought about asking him why Wanda had one of the ubercool Stark phones and I didn't, but I realized that I didn't have anyone to call but the Avengers, and they were around me 24/7 anyway.

We headed out of one of the hidden side doors of Stark Tower that only the Avengers' elevators led to, and I looked around, interested in the early Thursday morning bustle. I liked the assurance of the tall adults surrounding me; crowds in Tempe was how I was able to blend in so well. They're the best camouflage. But Wanda seemed uncomfortable.

"So, I realize I never officially introduced myself," I said conversationally, trying to break the ice. She hadn't said anything to me since we stepped into the elevator. "Holly Stark."

Wanda seemed unimpressed. Probably because she knew I felt awkward and was just talking so it wasn't silent. "Wanda Maximoff."

"So, how'd you get such a cool name like Scarlet Witch? As of now, I'm stuck with the Iron Shorty." I gave a dramatic sigh. Wanda said nothing. I couldn't take the morose expression on her face, although I knew that there was a good reason for it. "I'm sorry about Pietro," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "He seemed like a good guy."

Wanda didn't answer again, just clenched her fist, and I was silent for the rest of the trip to the market.

After we bought the orange juice and Pop-Tarts from the market, Wanda looked at me with a frown. She had stood silently while I had paid made awkward small talk with the teenage cashier. I had figured that if I was going to pretend to fit in with high schoolers, I'd better start now.

"I don't understand," she finally said as we waited for the light to turn so we could cross the street. I was carrying the bag, trying to be polite. "How are you not afraid? Less than three weeks ago you were kidnapped. Then tortured. Then Sokovia. You almost died. How are you okay?" Wanda asked, her voice breaking a bit. "You're acting like blowing up a city isn't something terrible."

I was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer, and if I wanted to lie or tell her the truth. "Blowing up the city _does_ bother me, a lot," I answered honestly. "But I know that it was the only way… the only way to save the world. Ultron? Yeah, that was my dad's fault." And sort of mine, I added silently. I knew that if I hadn't been kidnapped, he might have been more focused, might have ran more diagnostics before impulsively creating the AI…

"But... you'd go back into a fight again. I was scared. I didn't want to fight. You just… did it. How were you not frightened?"

I gritted my teeth, shifting the paper bag to my other hand before answering. "Well, at the time, I had a concussion and I wasn't really thinking logically. I was just worried about you guys. And the reason why I'm not scared now… well, I think it's because I've survived worse and kept going. Oh, right, you don't know about my stepdad and my mom…" I trailed off and shook my head. "Well, maybe I'll tell you about Tempe sometime. But basically, I just… I just keep looking forward. What's happened? That's behind me. The only thing I'm focused on right now is becoming an Avenger." Good. Only sort of a lie. I was trying to look ahead...

Wanda shook her head. "Why? You could be anything you wanted- Mr. Stark has more than enough money, you could do nothing the rest of your life and not worried about starving on the street."

"I couldn't do nothing, I'd get bored," I tried to joke, but I saw that Wanda still wasn't amused. "Listen… I'm arguably one of the smartest kids on the planet, and now_" I lowered my voice "_I have these mutant powers… if the world was ever under attack again, I'd feel obligated to do something, you know? I couldn't just sit by as the Avengers went in and risked their lives. So I want to prepare, I want to get better, so if- more likely when- there is a next time..."

She looked, if possible, even more confused than before. I guess I did a pretty bad job explaining.

"Are you afraid?" I pressed on. "Because if you are, that's really stupid. Tony and Steve and them wouldn't let you into the field again unless they thought you could handle it. You're living with the toughest people on the planet. They care about you, they'll protect you. My dad-"

We had reached the doors to Stark Tower. "Your dad created the missile that Pietro and I stared at for days while trapped in rubble of our destroyed home!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry," I said simply. I hadn't known.

She closed her eyes. "It's okay. I just don't understand. You are a child, but you're not afraid."

I shrugged. What would I tell her? The truth? That I was terrified of losing my newfound family, and that nothing I'd been through could compare to that? That I'd rather be dead than lose them? I didn't know Wanda. I had tried to kill her, which sometime I should probably apologize for.

But I trusted her. She had fought alongside the Avengers to save the world, and she had paid the ultimate price- not her life, like so many people thought, but having to live with the pain of losing someone they loved. Dying was easy- watching someone die, that was hard, but when it was someone you loved...

"I'm afraid of losing one of you guys," I said quietly. "I can't imagine what you're going through, losing your brother, and I'm sorry."

Wanda, once again, didn't respond.

I silently vowed to make it my mission to make Wanda feel like she was part of the family. I didn't know how, and I didn't really know her, but she was willing to risk her life to save others, and that was good enough for me.

We ascended in the elevator in an awkward silence. Stepping out into the kitchen, it appeared that the Avengers had assembled for breakfast, and Natasha was rifling through the fridge in a panic.

"OJ is here, Nat, you can put your knives away now!" Clint yelled.

Thank God for Clint. It broke the tension, Wanda and I both burst out laughing, and we took our places at the table.

It was interesting how even after everything that had happened, we still sat in the same places around the oval-shaped table. My dad was on my right. To his right was Pepper, Clint, then Wanda, Vision, Thor, Jane, and Bruce. Natasha was on my other side, Bruce next to her. The only thing that had changed was that three chairs had been added for Wanda, Vision, and Jane. I was more than okay with that.

Through breakfast, I didn't say much, just listened as the Avengers talked about their plans for the day. Pepper, as usual, was going to be in the Tower, but doing CEO stuff for Stark industries. Thor was taking Jane on a picnic _date_ in Central Park, that was weird. Steve and my dad were meeting with Fury to see about some media opportunities so the world wouldn't hate us so much. Clint was taking Wanda around the city. Bruce and Vision were going down to the workshop- maybe I could convince them to let me go down and work with them.

All of them kept glancing over at me like I was going to break, and I couldn't think of any jokes to crack to set their minds at ease. My conversation with Wanda was still on my mind, and all I could think about was how miserable she looked.

"Holly, if you're okay with it, I think I'll just get your measurements and send out for some new clothes for you," Pepper said to me halfway through my second plate of eggs, snapping me out of my plotting to make Wanda feel more at home here. "Steve and Natasha are going to take you to your school sometime this week and get you registered to start on Monday."

I swallowed and asked "Why Natasha and Steve?" Before shoveling in another forkful. I had no idea why I was so hungry this morning, but whatever. Clint had made plenty, I was starving, and if I had to go head to head for the last cinnamon roll with the Hulk or Thor, then so be it.

"Well, Being Tony Stark's daughter and all, you're a natural target. This is sort of a training exercise- we want to see how well you can blend in," Natasha answered. "You can't blend in being Holly Stark; you're going undercover, remember? After breakfast, I'll go over some possible disguise options for you, then we practice some basic self-defense exercises, as long as your head is feeling okay. Tomorrow, once you disguise yourself and get some decent fitting clothes, then we'll head out. Steve and I are going to pretend to be your alter ego's parents."

"Least I don't have to suffer through parent-teacher conferences," Tony muttered, though he had bitter undertones. I had a feeling he felt like he was missing out.

"I'll make sure that I'm a complete heathen," I assured him, trying to make him feel better. He had missed me going through high school the first time around. "You'll be glad that you _don't_ have to go. I'm gonna take current events and completely fail the Avengers portion of it, just watch. Steve'll have so much fun at conferences_" I was laughing too hard to continue, but so was everyone else. Minus Vision, who just looked bored. What was his problem? He hadn't said two words to me. Maybe he didn't like kids? Whatever, the jerk _had_ caught Wanda instead of me. I trusted the guy as far as I could throw him.

"You'd better not," Steve said playfully.

"Holly, here." Clint handed me one of the calorie-high nutrition shakes, although this one was in a glass instead of a plastic bottle.

I made a face. I hadn't thought I'd still have to drink them; I hadn't for the last few few days before I was kidnapped. "Guys, I literally just ate more during breakfast than I normally do in an entire day. Besides, I thought I was done with these. Can't I skip out on these as long as I eat enough? They taste like shi_ like crap," I finished lamely, remembering Tony's threat to kick me out of the workshop for a week. Besides, if I had to put any more money in the swear jar, I'd be broke.

"No," Everyone around the table, minus Wanda and Vision, said without missing a beat. I made my trademark pouty face before accepting the glass from Clint.

"Next time you're kidnapped, try to eat more," Jane joked. "Once your body fat percentage is up to 18%, then you can stop having to drink them."

"How much body fat do I have now?" I asked, glaring at the glass in trepidation.

"Thirteen percent."

I facepalmed. "Let's bargain. Fifteen percent body fat, and I no longer have to drink 'em as long as I'm eating," I argued.

"Holly," Tony said with warning undertone to his voice.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, except me; I immediately started to chug the shake, not wanting to upset my dad. However, I stopped at the taste. "Hey- it's actually good," I said, confused.

Clint grinned at the perplexed look on my face. "Blended it up with some powder stuff. It's lemon cookie flavored," he explained.

"Thanks, Clint!" I said genuinely before I made squinty eyes at Jane. "You drive a hard bargain, but fine. Eighteen percent it is, as long as Clint makes it."

The entire table, including Vision and Wanda, burst out laughing. I smiled. It was great to be back home. This was what life was supposed to be- this was a normal morning.

Friday interrupted us suddenly, saying "Hey, Boss? Someone's at the door. They say they're from Child Protective Services and are requesting a meeting with you."


	25. Child Protective Services

Immediately, everyone's head turned toward me. I tried to keep a neutral expression, but my mouth was dry as I managed to get out, "Why is everyone looking at me? Maximoff is a minor, too, you know."

My snarky comment had no reaction. Tony was frozen, just looking at me with trepidation. His expression finally caused Friday's words to really set in, and it was like there was a block of my ice settled in my stomach. It was finally Pepper who answered Friday. "Send them to Mr. Stark's office on the business floors and tell them that he'll be down right away." She shook her head. "I should have had them make an appointment, but we need to be as accommodating as possible, given the circumstances…"

"What circumstances?" I asked desperately, wishing that I hadn't eaten so much. I knew that whatever the reason CPS was at Stark Tower, it wasn't good.

Tony finally managed to find his voice. He got up, walked over to me, and bent down so we were eye level, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Kiddo, it is really important that you're paying attention right now. Okay? First thing- don't freak out. We're not going to let them take you, but they are going to want to talk to you, and you need to know what to say." He took a deep breath. "We weren't going to tell you yet, until we knew more about the Red Room program that captured you. Holly, you were on HYDRA's radar for months before they kidnapped you; turns out, they came looking for you the day after you left Tempe. You've got hella good timing, kiddo. Their agents killed your stepfather- good riddance- and legally, at that moment, you became a ward of the state of Arizona. No one knew where you were, and it wasn't confirmed that you were my daughter... so even though they looked, they didn't look very hard. Now, they know who you are and where you come from, but even though I'm your biological father, I'm not officially your legal guardian yet."

My stepfather was dead? I struggled to push down any emotions I was feeling toward that subject as I felt my energy bubble under my skin. It wouldn't do to blow up the tower or something. Besides, I was still confused why it mattered to social services. "But legally- my stepfather and mother is dead, no grandparents, aunts, or uncles, and you're my dad, isn't that sort of a no-brainer for you to be my legal guardian? You want to be, right?" I asked. I couldn't help the insecurity that leaked into my voice at the end. Why would Tony want me, after all? He'd taken me in, given me an education past bookwork, gave me a family, and all I'd done so far was cause trouble and then disobey the Avengers.

Tony gave a short laugh that didn't meet his eyes. "Trust me Holls, I don't want anything more. But when you showed up at the hospital here in New York showing every sign of abuse from that goddamn Red Room and the battle and then almost died from a brain injury, they had to file that report. Not their fault- they can't know about the Red Room for security reasons, so you had old injuries with no explanation. And most importantly, you cracked your head open doing something that wouldn't have been able to happen if you weren't with me. The government is going to try to prove that I'm not able to keep you safe."

I was confused, my mind racing and spluttering out. "But you're a great Dad! I'll just tell them that. I_"

"Let's see what they want first," Tony cut me off. "But it's important for you to keep this in mind; if they interview you, and they probably will, legally I cannot be in the room; you'll have one of my lawyers. So, you need to watch your mouth. Okay? No being snarky at the dumb questions they'll ask, and no swearing."

I don't think I've ever seen him more serious. Now I was really worried. "Okay. Dad… could they take me today?"

He didn't answer, but the fear in his eyes told me what I needed to know. He kissed my forehead. "We'll fight for you, Holly." Tony straightened up, his mouth a straight line. "I'm going to go put on a suit and my lucky tie," he said grimly. Sounding more like himself, he quipped, "Save me the last cinnamon roll- don't even think about touching it, Odinson."

Tony and Pepper both left the room to dress presentably. Meanwhile, I bolted to the bathroom, feeling breakfast already creeping up my esophagus. I had just enough time to throw the door shut behind me before I fell to my knees and puked up what felt like everything I've eaten in my life. My head pounded, radiating from the spot Deadpool nailed me at. Oh, god. This wasn't good. If I hadn't made such stupid decisions, we wouldn't be in this mess.

A few minutes later, I was aware of someone holding back my hair. "Holly, you okay?" Natasha asked when I finally stopped heaving.

Great; I had puke on my sweatshirt. I groaned and didn't answer her, instead forcing myself to my feet. To buy myself time, I turned on the tap and rinsed my mouth out.

"Tell me what's going through your mind. Is if you're afraid that they'll try to take you? You know that if they try that, we'd fight them."

I didn't answer Natasha, just kept rinsing out my mouth. . I couldn't meet her eyes.

"Is it your stepfather?"

The knife in my gut twisted as she reminded me. How many people had my actions inadvertently killed?

When I straightened up, I caught sight of myself in the mirror for the first time in days.

I looked terrible. My face was varying shades of yellow and purple from the bruises, my hair, even though I had brushed it this morning, was a mess, and I had a wild, panicky look in my eyes. Not to mention the puke on my clothes. Nothing about my appearance would scream 'well taken care of child'.

I took a deep breath. Natasha was still watching me intently, I could see her worried expression in the mirror. I had to keep my emotions in check. I could feel the energy bubbling vehemently beneath my skin. Couldn't let my emotions get the better of me, not now.

"I'm fine, Nat." I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "But I need new clothes, make-up to cover up these bruises, and you to braid back my hair, if you don't mind doing it," I said steadily, trying to channel Tony's unfazed attitude. "Gotta look presentable, right? I'll ask Wanda if I can borrow something- she's bigger than me, it won't fit that great, but it's better than my clothes being too small or me going down there wearing shorts and a puked on sweatshirt."

Natasha nodded. "Just keep your cool. It'll be fine. I'll get you what you need, don't worry. Stay here- I'll be right back. Sit down and drink some water."

Ten minutes later, she was back. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Figured that the social workers would get involved now. In my mind, I had been in way more danger in Tempe than I ever have been since I arrived at Stark Tower.

Natasha came back in, her arms containing clothes and a makeup bag. "They're already asking for you, Holly, we've got to be quick." Her voice was level.

She had brought me a pair of jeans and a lime green hoodie. I scrambled into them, cuffing the jeans a few times. They were baggy and definitely not fashionable rolled up like that, but it was better than what I had. Thank God I had worn a belt with my shorts this morning, because Natasha hadn't grabbed one and there was no way Wanda's pants would have stayed on my skinny frame otherwise. I grabbed the concealer and Natasha started braiding. "Do you need me to do that?" She asked me.

I snorted. "This ain't my first rodeo, trying to hide bruises," I said, my voice cracking from the stress. Would they actually take me away from the Avengers? From Tony?

Natasha finished braiding, spun me around, and took the concealer from my shaking hands; so far, I was doing a completely botched job. "You know, I keep trying to pound it through your skull that you don't have to do it all by yourself anymore," she said quietly, dabbing it gently on my face. A half minute later, she was done.

I turned around and scrutinized myself in the mirror. I looked a lot better now. My face looked almost skeletal, but there was nothing I could do about it now. At least the bruises were concealed. Taking a deep breath, I told them, "Ready."

Natasha and I walked back out into the main area. The Avengers were still sitting around the table, not eating anymore, but sitting in awkward silence. Pepper was waiting for me by the elevator. "They wouldn't let me stay in the meeting with Tony," she said to me, her eyes flashing. "They sent me to go get you. We had already contacted our lawyer, but she won't be here in time, and legally, you don't have to have one. The Vision is going to be keeping an eye on things. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

I wasn't okay. Not nearly okay. I wanted to hide behind Thor. But I put on the Stark trademark confident expression and smirked. "Yeah." Everyone knew I was lying.

"Have no fear, young one," Thor boomed. "If it does not go in our favor, we will crush_"

"Just tell the truth, Holly," Steve interrupted him. "And watch your language."

"We'll beat 'em up if they_"

"You don't have to answer their question if it makes you uncomfortable," Bruce advised, interrupting Clint.

"Good luck," Wanda said quietly, giving me a small smile, which I tried to return.

"I am statistically putting the chances of your meeting going well at 85%, as long as you are polite to them," Vision said reassuringly. "And Mr. Stark told me to be on standby to go through the wall and fight if they try to physically attack you. Do not be worried."

Natasha gave me a side hug. "You can do this."

I nodded at them, not trusting myself to speak, but grateful for their support. I had a feeling if I did speak, then I'd beg them to let me stay here, to not make me go.

Pepper took me by the hand and tried to smile reassuringly at me, but I saw the stress in her eyes. "Let's go."

The elevator doors were sliding shut when I remembered. "Nova!" I exclaimed, trying to put my foot out to stop the door. It caught it in the nick of time. I sprinted to get the chip from the couch where I'd left her and then back into the elevator. "Now I'm ready," I said firmly, clutching the chip. Pepper squeezed by free hand, and the elevator doors swung shut.

I hadn't spent any time in the company floors of Stark Tower. When the elevator stopped, I wrenched my hand out of Pepper's, not wanting them to see me being treated like a little kid. Pepper moved her hand on my shoulder. I internally sighed, but said nothing. Secretly, I was glad for her reassuring presence, although this made me ashamed. I could sky dive off the helicarrier but not walk into a meeting alone?

Pepper led me into a lavish office; I knew it was hers, because her name was on the nameplate sitting on the mahogany desk, but there was a stern-looking, slightly overweight middle-aged woman sitting in the chair on Pepper's side of the desk.

So this was where Pepper was most of the day. Her office had a brilliant view of New York's skyline, just like the communal living room in the living floors of the tower. That set me slightly at ease.

"Thank you, Ms. Potts," the woman said. I detected a condescending tone from her and immediately, I bristled. This was the CEO of one of the most successful companies on the planet! Thinking quickly, I knew that I had a few options- being sassy (which Tony had instructed me not to do), being polite but distant (probably the best option if I wanted to make a good impression) or a clingy, annoying twelve year old to try and convince her that to get anything out of me, Pepper would have to be in the room (hardest to fake, but probably the best way to annoy them without being insubordinate).

I decided to be polite. For now. I kept my mouth shut.

Pepper squeezed my shoulder. "You gonna be okay, Holly?" she asked softly.

I nodded, looked down, and fiddled with Nova's chip. Pepper led me over to the chair and I sat down, but then she turned to leave instead of sitting in the chair next to mine. "You're leaving?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, my anxiety increasing by tenfold.

"She's the CEO of Stark Industries," the social worker said. "She has no business being in this meeting."

Except that I want her to stay. Except for the fact that she's been more like a mom to me in two months than my own mother managed to be in nearly twelve years. I squeezed Nova's chip so tightly it hurt, stood up, and threw my arms around Pepper, who hugged me back. But I didn't say anything as Pepper squeezed my shoulder again and walked out.

When it was just the social worker and I, the woman smiled at me. It looked like the action pained her. If this was someone that was supposed to set me at ease, than they did a really bad job of thinking this out. She hit a button on the black tape recorder that was sitting on the desk.

"Sit down, Holly." I thought about disobeying, insisting that I'd prefer standing, but I thought better of it and sat. "My name is Mrs. Russel. Do you know why I'm here?"

I shook my head, observing my shoes. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face. "Not exactly." My eyes flashed up to see her expression.

She clasped her hands together and leaned across the desk toward me. I leaned as far back in the chair as I could, away from her. "I am here because you were put in some situations that no child should ever be put into. We don't ever want you in that situation again. I want to learn your side of the events, so I'm going to ask you some questions."

I tried to look into her face as I addressed her. "Okay."

"You used to reside in Tempe, Arizona. Why did you leave and seek out Mr. Stark when you were legally in your stepfather's care?"

I clutched Nova so tightly that I felt like the chip was tearing into my palm. I didn't want to go through this. If not Tony or Pepper, then couldn't Natasha be here? I closed my eyes. Had to spit it out. Had to convince them of the truth; that despite the Red Room and getting hurt in the Ultron Offensive, impulsively running away from Tempe was the best decision I had ever made, and if I had stayed in Tempe, then I would have been way worse for wear, if not dead.

I looked past her, out the window. This lady didn't seem good with kids. She seemed to hate me. What if she was Hydra?"

"Ms. Stark? Holly? Answer the question," Ms. Russel snapped.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts, realizing that I had zoned out, that I hadn't answered her question.

"I'm going to count to three_" she threatened, looking extremely frustrated. "One_"

Who did she think she was? Counting to three? I was twelve, not five. Part of me was tempted to just sit quiet, but Tony had asked me to cooperate. "My stepfather, and my mother before she died, were sadists," I spat out. "I ran away because the abuse- which had been going on for years, by the way- was escalating, and I thought that eventually, my stepfather would kill me. The trigger- the reason why that I ended up leaving- is that… my stepfather, he tried to touch me. Sexually." I looked up and stared into her eyes, my expression as flat as I could make it. "I knew that Tony Stark was my father, but didn't seek him out until I had to; I wasn't up to date with the times. I thought he still made weapons, and I didn't like that. But I didn't have a choice."

"So you didn't like Mr. Stark."

"When I was under the impression that he was still the Merchant of Death, I hadn't met him," I said mildly, staring out the window at New York City instead of her cold eyes. "When I did meet him, I found out that he's a great man. And he's never made me doubt that he cares about me."

She made a disbelieving noise in her throat, and I knew immediately that this meeting was rigged. Couldn't lose my temper; it would be bad if I threw out my energy and killed her. That'd be a real problem.

"You've already got your high school diploma, correct?" she asked me, flipping through the file folder. I tensed. What was in that file?

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"And you applied to colleges, and have been accepted, but you haven't confirmed your position at any. Why is that? Is Stark not offering to pay for your tuition?"

Okay, more honesty. Maybe I was just overreacting, and she was just trying to find out my story. I relaxed my grip on Nova a bit, and snorted a bit. "Please, Tony isn't worried about the amount of money that my education costs." I searched her passive face before I continued. "The reason why I'm not going this fall is because I finally found a family," I admitted. "I still have a lot of time before the normal college age, and I found something that I hadn't ever had before- people that gave a rat's ass if I was happy. I want to enjoy it." Oh, crap. Tony had told me to watch my mouth.

The curse word didn't seem to faze her. "Holly, are you aware that your 'family' consists of two assassins, a super-soldier, a God, and a man who turns into a monster when he loses his temper?" she sneered.

Well, there was a mutant and an AI now, plus me and my mutant powers, but I had a feeling that Fury had kept his promise and kept my ability under wraps. "Don't forget Dad and Pepper," I told her.

"Ah. Yes." she gave me another cold smile. "Your father- does he ever let you into his workshop with him?"

I carefully thought about what I was going to say before smiling and exclaiming, "Yeah! It's awesome- I built a drone! I was always great at mechanics, but didn't have the resources or freedom in Tempe to really build anything cool. I've taken awesome pics of New York City from a bird's eye view. It's so fun!" I stared directly into her face as I lied, trying to channel Black Widow and keeping my voice even.

"So you didn't build the suit that you were seen walking out of during the Battle of Sokovia?" she asked bluntly.

"No, I did," I lied again, trying to seem casual. "Tony helped program it, it was supposed to be a failsafe; if I was ever in a life threatening situation, my dad programmed the suit so it'd take me to a safehouse. I was never supposed to join the fight."

She snorted disbelievingly. I put on an innocent smile.

"How come you were fighting, then? Stark obviously didn't program it correctly_"

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but he did do it right, I just undid it. The reason why I joined the battle- and as a result, got hurt- was because I ignored all orders the Avengers gave me." I tried to keep my voice steady. Tony's priority was keeping me safe; that was obvious to me. Why was this woman trying to make it sound like he was careless?

"Right," she said sarcastically. "A twelve year old hacked an Iron Man suit."

"Well, I am a genius. You've probably got my test scores in that file. I hacked that suit so I controlled it, so instead of it piloting me to the safehouse, I flew myself to Sokovia. If I hadn't done that, I never would have gotten hurt. I did it because I love my family- I wanted to keep them safe."

"Holly," she said, smiling. Or at least trying to smile- it looked more like she was baring her teeth. "You do know that there are thousands of suitable families for you out there? You could have a mother and a father that was home every night and you wouldn't have to worry about dying at the hands of aliens or robots."

I snorted, thinking of my mom and my stepdad- Child Protective Services had never gotten involved with the way _they_ parented me. Sure, maybe the injuries they dealt me weren't always life threatening. Maybe locking me in a closet for two days straight wasn't as bad as being held captive by Hydra people that mutated me. The difference was that when I was locked in that closet, there was no point in coming out to a world that didn't give a damn about me.

"I don't care if I might be 'safer' with other people," I said, the words tumbling over each other, trying to get the memory of Tempe out of my mind. "You won't find another group of people on Earth that care about me more than the Avengers do."

"And it doesn't bother you that they're all murderers?"

I looked away, clenching my fists, trying to keep my arms from shaking, trying to keep my energy from bursting out. "Not intentionally. They protect people," I spat out. All traces of politeness were gone. I was livid. How dare she call the Avengers murderers when they were trying to _stop_ the scumbags that actually were killing people?

"Judging by the injuries documented when you were admitted to the hospital, they clearly don't protect you."

I suddenly found myself on my feet. This woman accused the Avengers of not keeping me safe, when I was abused for years in Tempe and CPS never stepped in? "Yes, they do!" I shouted, my voice shaking. My energy was about to blow- I needed to get a grip on myself now. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the build up, praying that I wouldn't break Pepper's office or kill this woman when I exploded.

I was distracted by a knock at the door. It burst open, and Phil Coulson walked in. "Sorry I'm late," he said smoothly as walked over. "I'm Holly Stark's lawyer."

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling my frustration ebb away slowly. Agent Coulson was here- no, the _Director_ Coulson was here. it'd be okay.

He looked at me for a second, his concerned eyes travelling down to my clenched hand. For the first time, I realized how badly my hand was throbbing, and looking down, I saw that I had been squeezing Nova's chip so hard that the metal edges had cut into my palm, and blood was starting to run down my fist. "Hey, Phil," I said to him, trying to keep my voice even and my expression from looking murderous. "I'm so glad you're here."

Coulson turned back to Russel. "This interview with Holly is over. She's clearly distressed. I'll be contacting your supervisor about interview tactics," he snapped. His tone softer, he told me, "Holly, go back upstairs."

I stood up and half ran out of the room, straight into Pepper. I rebounded off and teetered backwards, while she stayed steadfast on her high-heeled feet.

"Holly! Are you alright?" She asked, gripping the tops of my shoulders in her hands and steadying me before I could fall.

I took a deep breath, trying to get control over myself, trying not to cry. I could still feel the energy there, but thankfully, it was quickly fading away. I realized I couldn't find my voice, and I just threw my arms around Pepper and hugged her.

"It's okay," she whispered, stroking my hair. "It's okay…"

Finally, after about a minute, I pulled back and found my voice. "I'm okay. Sort of. The questions they asked me were really… weird," I ended lamely. I realized that the blood was starting to drip onto the expensive looking carpeting. "Shit," I muttered, holding my still clenched fist up to eye level. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She took my hand and gently massaged it open, then took Nova's now bloodstained chip out of my hand. I immediately tried to take it with my uninjured hand, but she shook her head and put her arm around my shoulders. "I'll have Bruce or Tony clean it off first. Let's get you back upstairs and have Dr. Foster take care of that," she murmured. "Tony's interview is done as well; they're not taking you anywhere today. You can thank Dr. Garner's psych workup for that; I know you don't like him, but it convinced them that taking you from your home would have a negative psychological effect…"

I nodded, feeling embarrassed. I would have to see if I could hack into the files and take a look at it; I wanted to see what Dr. Garner had exactly said, because none of them had bothered to tell me. "Okay," I whispered.

Once my palm had been bandaged up- the cut wasn't deep enough to merit stitches, luckily- we met again at the dining room table. All of the Avengers were there, in the same spots, but breakfast had been cleaned up. I slid into my seat between Tony and Natasha and as Pepper sat down, Steve started speaking.

"Okay, what was that about?" he asked. Everyone looked at me and Tony while the two of us exchanged glances.

"You first, Holly," Tony said. He was pale.

I cleared my throat, wracking my brain to remember and give them the most accurate answer. "She just asked me why I went to Malibu, if I knew what you guys were, what a typical day for me what like- I lied a little, by the way, made it sound like you guys weren't training me, and that I just hung out and spent time with you guys. Then she made it sound like you couldn't protect me and that's why I got hurt in Sokovia. I told her that it was my dumb decisions that put me in the hospital, and then Coulson walked in, said he was my lawyer, accused her of being bad with kids, and told me to leave the room." I shrugged. "Nothing to it."

"Yeah, sure, that's why you were squeezing your AI's interface chip so tightly it sliced open your hand," Pepper intoned, looking upset. "They were more than just 'bad with kids_"

"I'm okay," I interrupted, knowing that they all could tell I was lying. "It's over now. Dad, what did they want? What'd they say to you?"

"Well, they told me that putting a child in danger is, by law, child abuse in New York. Sokovia, as you might have guessed, was just a little bit dangerous." Tony sighed. "We're under investigation for the time being; they said they'd be in touch. They're trying to build a case." He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Holls," he began. "But I used Dr. Garner's assessment of you to prove that you staying here during the investigation was in your best interest. Since he is no longer available to see you, they want you to see one of their psychologists. You refuse to see them, and that looks bad on us."

I buried my face in my hands. "I'll see them. I'm sorry- this is my fault- If I had just stayed on the helicarrier-"

Pepper pried my hands away from my face. "Holly, you are just a kid. You're going to make mistakes and wrong choices. It's a part of growing up. No one's mad at you. But next time, listen. We tell you something, then it's for a good It's for a good reason."

Steve nodded in agreement, saying "It's too late to change what's already happened. What you can do now is do your best to follow our orders."

"So what's our plan?" asked Clint.

"We can create a Gram of Instant to show people our merry times! There will be no doubt that the Man of Iron is a sufficient caregiver," Thor boomed.

I face planted into the table. That's it. If my only chance of survival was the God of Thunder making a social media account, I was doomed. At least the only way they'd be able to contain me is if they threw me into juvenile court. And to be honest, with my mutation, they probably couldn't even contain me then. If they tried to take me away, I'd just run away.

Natasha rubbed my back, and I jumped at her touch. "Don't worry; Thor wouldn't control the account. No one cares how many Pop-Tarts he can eat."

"Or we could have a press conference with the both of you," Pepper said, her eyes lighting up. "If they see you two interact in public, show them how great Tony is with you, get them on our side- then we could use public opinion to sway CPS. The public is dying to meet Holly, anyway."

I lifted my head up, my face an expression of pure dread, as Tony said, "That could work. Get it set up- the sooner the better. This afternoon. Would you be able to get Holly her clothes before then?"

Pepper scoffed. "Of course."

I tried to fight down the panic. Standing in front of a bunch of people I didn't know and answering a bunch of nosy questions? I think I'd rather face Wanda with energy blocking cuffs on.

Steve nodded and stood up. "Okay. Do you guys want us there, or just Tony and Holly?"

"You guys should be there, but just in case anything goes wrong. She's got a target on her back by every Hydra agent in the world right now. Let's also run it by Fury first."

Everyone looked at Tony in disbelief. "Since when do you follow protocol, Stark?" Steve asked.

"I trust Fury to act in Holly's best interests," he said simply. "That's good enough for me." He registered their dumbfounded expressions and grinned at me before turning back to the team. "Okay, so, let's follow our normal plan but meet back here at three. Press conference will be in Stark Tower."


	26. New Identity

"Natasha, can we go spar for a bit first?" I asked her when the Avengers had all left. "I know that I'm not suppose to, but I just…"

She seemed to know how I was feeling. "Yeah, I don't see a problem with it. Let's see how rusty you've gotten. We'll just have to watch your head."

It was comforting to be in the gym with Natasha again. The same blue mats, the feeling of open space despite the equipment. There was nowhere to hide, nothing could surprise me. Natasha took me through the same warm up routine as before everything had happened. I smiled to myself, remembering the girls in the Red Room and how I had adapted and taken them down. I didn't think I'd win against Natasha, but I bet I could hold my own against her now, or at least last longer than a minute.

Natasha took her stance, and I took mine. She didn't move a muscle, waiting for me to make the first move. I swung.

"Woah! Hang on, stop. What the heck are you doing right now?" she asked, grabbing my fist.

"What?" I asked her, irritated, keeping my guard up. I was sure it was a trap.

"Your technique- did you forget everything that I taught you?" she asked, sounding alarmed.

I flushed, embarrassed; she was right; the angle to hold my wrist so it wouldn't be hurt on impact was one of the first things she had taught me. I just looked at my feet. She was disappointed in me, that was obvious. After a second, I shrugged, trying to play it off. "No, I know! I don't need to practice. Come on Nat, let's just spar. Please? I need to blow off some steam." I peeked at her, sending the pouty face that usually got my way with all of the Avengers if I was stubborn enough.

But I should have known it would be pointless to try it; this wasn't Nat, my friend, this was Agent Romanoff, my teacher, and she looked at me sternly. "Um, no. Absolutely not. If you would have hit me like that, you would have hurt your wrist. Tape your hands and get over to the punching bag."

She turned toward the bag, and I got a really bad idea, but I knew it would force her into sparring with me, at least temporarily. I leapt at the back of the Black Widow, trying to kick her legs out. I succeeded; unfortunately, Natasha took me down with her, but she was graceful enough to make sure my head didn't hit the mat. I struggled, and she let me up, opening her mouth to say something- probably lecture me- but I attacked her again, trying to tackle her, knowing I wouldn't succeed.

She smirked, and a second later I was being held down in a half nelson hold, my face against the mat, my legs pinned by one of her knees. I couldn't move. I was completely contained.

"What're you gonna do now?" She asked.

But for whatever reason, my mind wasn't in the gym of Stark Tower.

 _I couldn't move and they were hurting me and I couldn't escape, the Avengers were dead and the metal armed man just kept hurting me…_

I panicked, flailing, but it changed nothing about my predicament. "LET GO OF ME!" I yelled, hysterical as the memory of the torture room faded and I was back in the gym with Natasha. Natasha released me, and I backed away, on my feet, ready to fight or run. I felt my back bump into something and I shrieked, turned around and threw a punch at the person before realizing it was the punching bag, not an attacker. My wrist throbbed. Natasha had been right.

"Holly, what_"

I squeezed my eyes shut and ran my hands over my face, trying not to remember the Red Room, trying not to remember being helpless and handcuffed and tortured_

I yelped as Natasha grabbed the tops of my arms. "Holly, focus!" she barked. I realized I was starting to hyperventilate, and I tried to get a grip on myself.

Suddenly, Natasha looked furious. "So, you want to join the Avengers, but you refuse to learn proper technique and you still panic when you're fighting. At least now it's just when you're pinned." She shook her head. "You say you're fine, but you show classic symptoms of PTSD. Hell no, you're not ready to join. You've got a lot of work to do. Now, go tape your hands."

Out of shock more than anything, I listened to her. Natasha never got frustrated with me. Ever. And she was pissed.

After a dull hour of working on technique for hitting and blocking, I suddenly stopped and folded my arms. Facing her, I asked sullenly, "If I'm no good, then how come I was able to beat the other Red Room trainees? You came from the Red Room."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we did some research on that program after Sokovia."

"What?" I interrupted. Mentally, I made a note to hack their research about my Red Room as soon as I had an opportunity; this was the first I'd heard about them doing research. Obviously, they hadn't thought to share it with me. Just like they hadn't shared my crazy growth spurt with me, I thought bitterly. "What else did you find out?"

Natasha smirked. "The other girls had only been in the program six months, and they were mostly there for the mutation. They didn't have much more fighting experience than you. The only reason they weren't mutated yet is because they wanted to test it first, and they were waiting to find you- you were the only American that they took, you know that? They wanted to be able to mutate everyone at the same time. When they found out you were Tony's daughter… well, you became the test subject. Patient 001."

I was quiet as I processed this. "I was on their radar before I came to Tempe. Tony said that this morning, that they came to my house… and they killed my stepfather." I inhaled sharply, feeling an ache, and I wondered why. I wasn't sad that he was dead; I hated the man. Hated him from the day I met him, when my mom went from being an okay mom- sure, she drank, she may have believed in the philosophy of booze before food- but she also played with me, took me to the library and the park. Then he came along, and she stopped trying. But he was dead now, and I realized; he was dead because of me.

My thoughts must have been written on my face, because Natasha stepped forward.

"It isn't your fault," Natasha said quietly, reaching her hand out towards me. I stepped back before she could put it on my shoulder.

"Kiddo," she said, and suddenly, Agent Romanoff was gone and Nat was back. "Come over here." She led me over to the water cooler in the corner, and as she was filling up a cup, she told me again, "It isn't your fault. Understand? You weren't the one that pulled the trigger."

"Then who's fault is it?" I asked tonelessly, ignoring her hurt expression. I sat down on concrete ground, ignoring the proffered cup, my head on my knees. Mumbling, I added, "If I had been there_"

Natasha sat next to me, but not close enough to make me uncomfortable. "Holly, if you had been there, he still would have been killed. The difference is that you would have been kidnapped and been a mindless Hydra drone right now, because we wouldn't have found you." Natasha's harsh tone softened. "It's okay to feel bad about it. I'm sure that if you asked Tony, he'd fly you to visit your mom and stepdad's graves. Get some closure, if that's what you want."

I lifted my head off of my knees and looked at Natasha without really seeing her. "I don't know where my mom was buried," I choked out, the memory sharp. "I wasn't invited to her funeral. I don't even know if she's cremated or buried or what." I shook off the icy feeling that I got whenever I thought about them, pulled myself together, and changed the subject. My tone cocky, I told her, "Anyway, I still beat them. The girls in the Red Room. And they'd still had some training. I'm not that bad."

Natasha didn't push the subject, thankfully. She offered me the cup of water again. This time, I took it. "Holly? They were your size. Good luck trying to beat an adult. You could pound on other kids your age, maybe. It wasn't your regular Red Room, kiddo. But that doesn't make your experience any better, I know," she added hastily. "The point is- Holly, you're not going to be fighting against other kids. You'd be fighting against people who are bigger than you and have years worth of experience. Do you understand?"

I knew she was right- I had to learn how to fight better. Without my suit, I was powerless. So if I could fight an adult successfully, I could go on missions with them? Sounded fair enough.

I nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Are you mad that I forgot the technique? I'm sorry. I'll try harder, I'll_"

Natasha shook her head and cut me off. "I'm not mad you forgot. I'm worried about you, because you're so convinced you can take on the word, and I don't want you to run into a fight and get hurt. You need to realize, you need to get this through to your thick skull- you are NOT ready to fight in the field. Not even close, and this proved it. I'm sorry for being so harsh. You Starks are just so good doing impossible things with technology, that sometimes you need a dose of reality when it comes to the fact that you're not invincible."

I contemplated this, then feigned innocence. "What? We're not invincible? Then why does the media call Tony the Invincible Iron Man, then?"

"Because the media lies." She grinned. "Go shower. You should have some new clothes by now. Meet me in the kitchen; We'll have lunch and then work on your alias."

Natasha's cooking skills were about on par with mine; they were practically nonexistant. Considering that neither of us really felt like waiting for takeout to come or putting out a fire, we decided to play it safe with sandwiches, Oreos, and at Nat's insistence, fruit. Natasha was cleaning up and I was sitting on the counter next to the sink, finishing up another lemon cookie flavored nutrition shake, when Phil Coulson showed up. He looked haggard; his tie was loosened, the first button of his shirt undone. But he smiled warmly when he saw me.

"Hey, Holly," He greeted me as he walked into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar. "Agent Romanoff," he nodded to Natasha as she dried her hands on a dishtowel. "Is Tony around? I just finished talking to child protective services." He scowled and a thrill of fear shot through me. "Don't worry, Holly- you're still not going anywhere. Not today, at least."

"Tony's with Fury and Steve," Natasha said, walking around the kitchen island to sit at the breakfast bar. I copied her, sitting on the other side of Coulson. "Remember? They're trying to do public opinion damage control. Glad I wasn't invited," she smirked. "Dealing with those two? Fury'd be pulling out his hair if he had any."

I smiled a little at that thought, but I couldn't help but worry. Coulson had brought back child protective services to the front of my mind. "What'd they say after I left?" I demanded.

He sighed. "I have to talk to your dad about it first, Holly. I'm sorry. But I'll tell you this right now- whether you like it or not, you need to listen to and do exactly what the Avengers, Fury, or I tell you. Understand? They're looking for a reason to take you away, and right now they have a case. Tou being in Sokovia and getting hurt does not bode well for Tony's parenting skills, they're trying to put you into the system- and if they take you into foster care, it'll be child's play for HYDRA to find you. Hell, I'm sure that the reason _why_ they're coming after Tony despite his money and lawyers is that they have Hydra agents planted."

I was frozen, dread rushing through me. Natasha fixed me with a stare. "Holly, it's not going to come to that."

As much as I trusted Natasha, I knew logically that she couldn't possibly be sure that they wouldn't take me. She was just an adult trying to make a kid feel better right now. I looked at Coulson, thoughts racing. "Be honest- what's the chance of them taking me? What do I have to do so they won't?"

"There's no chance of them taking you, because we all know you'd run away first," Coulson said with a wry grin, causing me to calm slightly. They knew, they'd have a contingency plan. "You're not that hard to read. As for what you can do? Be a model kid," Coulson told me seriously. "Eat your green vegetables, listen to what we tell you, do your homework- and for your safety, don't leave the Tower without one of the Avengers, except for school. And even at school, we'll have people keeping an eye on you, making sure that you're safe. Understand?"

A cold shiver went down my spine. "Yes, sir," I told him.

"I'll have to video call Stark tonight, I've got to run. Holly, try not to worry, okay? Let the adults take care of it- let us take care of you." He turned to the elevator.

"Everything okay with you and your team?" Natasha asked as he pressed the button. "Anything I can help with?"

He looked at Natasha with eyes that seemed to be a million years old. "We lost one of our own, Nat. Jemma Simmons- remember her? Graduated early from the Science and Technology Academy."

Natasha face twisted in pain. "I remember her. I thought she and her friend were going to drive me nuts that time I guest lectured. I didn't know she moved into the field. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Coulson shook her head. "She's not dead, Nat. Lost. We're still trying to find her."

I felt doubly guilty that he was here for me when he had major trouble with his own team to worry about. "I'm sorry, Director, sir," I said. "I didn't mean to_"

"It's okay," he interrupted. He didn't look mad, just tired. "Just keep yourself out of trouble from now on, okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you, sir."

He grimaced. "Phil."

He left, and Natasha picked up the Stark Tablet lying on the counter. "Ready to make your fake identity?" She asked with a grin.

I tried to push CPS and the missing SHIELD agent out of my mind. Phil was right- if it came to it, I'd run. And I couldn't help the agent. Well… maybe I could.

"Holly?" Natasha asked, and I realized that I'd zoned off again.

"Sorry, I was just... thinking." A fake identity? Figures that as soon as I realized that I really liked being Holly Stark, I'd have to pretend to be someone else. "I guess so. How about Haleigh Stone?" I asked. "Same initials, Holly sounds kinda like Haleigh."

Natasha frowned. "It's almost too similar, but I agree that it might be safer in case you forget. Then you could just claim they misheard you if you told them your name was Holly by accident. So, Haleigh Stone." She typed commands into the Stark Tablet.

"Whatcha doing?" I asked, trying to peer at the screen.

"Making you some fake documents," she answered casually. "What day do you want your birthday to be?"

"How about December 25th? Easy to remember."

Natasha leveled me with a glare. "Holly, you're a genius, and you're about to go undercover, and you're trying to take the easy way out?"

"Fine!" I cast my mind around for a random date. "July thirteenth."

She mumbled in Russian under her breath and typed before looking at me analytically.

"What?"

"I'm trying to figure out the oldest we can make you without it being suspicious."

My expression brightened. "Can you make me sixteen, so I can have a driver's license?"

"Absolutely not." Her expression was amused, so I decided to keep it up, trying to make things less awkward after our discussion earlier about how I wasn't ready to be in the field.

"Please," I said rolling my eyes. "It's not that hard to drive."

Natasha fixed me with a gaze. "Have you actually ever driven a car before?"

I shook my head. "Nah. But if Steve can do it…"

"I don't think you could see over the steering wheel," she smirked. Before I could retort, Natasha flicked me in the ear. "Focus. I'm thinking the oldest we could put you at is fourteen, and that's pushing it, although with a July birthday, you'd have just turned fourteen. You can pull it off, and we could enroll you as a sophomore that skipped a grade. So, you were born in 2001 now. Got it?"

I nodded. At least I wouldn't be a freshman. "Got it."

Natasha was staring at me again. "Okay. So for your disguise- how do you feel about blonde hair and hipster glasses?"

"No," I said flatly.

"Too bad." She typed in a couple of commands, grinned, and then turned the computer around to show me a picture of a state-issued ID.

The picture was me, one that had been taken a few weeks ago. I wasn't smiling. Natasha had tweaked the picture so I had on black rectangle-frame glasses, blonde hair, and the scar on my face was gone. Unless you knew it was me, the contrast was weirdly extreme enough to fool anyone.

"Seriously? I look that different with just hair dye and glasses?"

Natasha laughed. "Haven't you seen Steve's 'I'm just a civilian' starter pack? Aviators and a ball cap and he's good to go, no one realizes he's the famous Captain America."

The elevator dinged before I could call her on her probably bull crap- no way that was true for Steve, there were just too many fangirls in this world- and Tony walked out. "Dad!" I exclaimed, running up to him.

"Hey, Holls, how was your day?" he asked, hugging me. I couldn't believe how good it felt- Before, Tony had been in the tower, so I had never been able to greet him when he came back. I hadn't greeted anyone like this since I was what, five? Six? It felt good to have someone excited to see me when they came home.

I pulled back and grinned at him. "Well, Natasha kicked my butt when we sparred, proving to me that I'm wrong and that I actually do need training, so that was fun," I couldn't help the irritation in my tone.

"Yeah, she does that to everyone, don't worry," Tony reassured me. "You guys figured out who you're going to be at school," Tony stated, seeing the pile of paperwork that Natasha had just printed out. "Who?"

"Haleigh Stone, a fourteen year old. You're officially the father of a teenager- congratulations," I smirked.

"Oh man," Tony whined. "I thought I still had another seven months before I had to deal with teenage angst!" He dramatically facepalmed before shooting me a cheeky grin. "Actually…" He trailed off, reading the fake birth certificate."Nat is," he announced, seeing the words 'Natalie Stone' typed on my fake birth certificate. "Have fun with that, Romanoff."

Natasha smiled, walking up to me and Tony. "Um, nope. You can handle the teenage angst. That's just pretend. I'm still the fun aunt," she protested.

With a smirk practically mirroring Tony's, I asked her, "Hey fun aunt, can I borrow your Widow's Bite?"

"No," Natasha said at the same time Tony said, "Only if you play a prank on Legolas."

I snorted. "Okay, who's the 'fun aunt'?"

Clint and Wanda walked out of the elevator as Tony and Natasha laughed. Clint was carrying a heavy-looking plastic shopping bag. "Present for you, Stark," he said, chucking it at Tony, who caught it reflexively and peeked in the bag.

With a look of disgust, Tony put the bag on the counter. "You got me parenting books?!"

"You got him parenting books?" Natasha and I echoed, her tone amused, mine affronted.

"What? The social workers are gonna be back. You need all the help you can get."

Everyone stared at Clint in disbelief, except Wanda, who was laughing.

It was good to see Wanda laughing, and I bantered, "Maximoff! I thought you were on my side!"

She shot me a friendly grin. "Sorry, Stark. Payback for scaring me in Sokovia. I almost tore you in half, you know!"

I stuck my chin in the air, feigning indignance, as I told her, "Please, Maximoff. You and me, anytime, sparring." But I smiled at her after that, so it'd be obvious I was joking. It was so great to see Wanda without the mask of grief.

"At the risk of breaking my tower, I'm gonna say that's a no. Go get ready for the press conference, Holls."

My grin faded. "Man. This is gonna be a bitch, isn't it?"

"That's a dollar in the swear jar," Tony told me. "And yeah, it will be, but it'll be over soon. And I'll be with you, it'll be okay. Just be yourself. Except with the swearing. And the stupid impulsive decisions thing. And the_"

"Okay, I get it! Don't be you."

I stared out at the army of reporters, completely at loss for words. Tony and I were sitting on a raised platform, with Happy and Pepper standing off to the side. I saw Natasha, Steve, and Clint hanging out incognito in the audience. Bruce and Thor were providing intel from the top of the tower; everyone, besides me, had a comm link in. I felt ridiculous; I was wearing an Abercrombie tank top, dark skinny jeans, and sandals. I couldn't fight in this! But hopefully, I wouldn't have to, although I would almost prefer to be back on Sokovia than doing this press conference right now. After Tony had introduced me, the reporters had swarmed with questions.

"Ms. Stark, what made you decide to join the Avengers?"

"Ms. Stark, did your father train you to be an Avenger?"

"Ms. Stark, how do you feel about Tony's girlfriend?"

"Ms. Stark, is it true that you're trained by Captain America?"

"Ms. Stark, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Ms. Stark, Where do you plan on attending university?"

"Ms. Stark, is Tony a good father?"

Tony seemed to be in his element amongst this storm of reporters. Classy as always in a grey suit, white dress shirt, and blue tie, he put his hands up. "Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you that you'll get the answers that you want. Let me just say this first- make my daughter feel uncomfortable, and you'll regret it." His tone went from joking to playful. "And no, she definitely does not have a boyfriend, she's twelve for Pete's sake." He glared at the man that asked that question. That reporter squirmed as the rest laughed good naturedly.

Tony looked at me. "Go ahead, kiddo."

I squirmed, feeling their eyes on me. "Um, well, I guess I should say first that I am definitely not an Avenger."

The crowd broke out into muttering, and I had a sudden stroke of inspiration. "You guys seriously think Tony'd let me join the Avengers? No way. He's a lot of things, but irresponsible father is not one of them. Playing a prank on Captain America or hiding the God of Thunder's favorite snacks, fine. But he would never _let_ me go into a combat area. Heck, he freaks out when I climb up onto the counter to reach a kitchen cupboard because he's worried I'm gonna fall," I lied smoothly, smirking the trademark Stark smirk. Technically, Pepper was the one that had freaked out when I'd done that about an hour ago. Not my fault that the Oreos were up there. Natasha was just trying to hide them from Thor.

"Then why were you in Sokovia?" a female reporter shouted out. The crowd went silent, waiting for my reply with baited breath.

"I'm a Stark," I said flatly, raising my eyebrows. "Do you honestly think, if I want to do something, that anyone on this planet could stop me? I wanted to go help them save the world, so I did. But I took a beating, because it was stupid of me, and it was dangerous. I understand that. I'm done with that for now- I want to go to university, get my degree. I'm thinking bioengineering."

"That was brutal," I muttered, head throbbing as I sat down at the kitchen table in the Stark floor. "Like, I totally feel violated. I hate people. I really, really hate people. How do you deal? No privacy."

"You separate yourself from the real you and the you that you show the press. And you did a good job, Holly," Tony praised.

"I basically lied to them the whole time."

"Yeah, well, luckily you can lie to people you don't care about pretty efficiently. Either way, mission accomplished, kid, they love you. I'm starving. What do you say about going out for dinner tonight? Just the three of us."

I smiled, trying to relax. A family dinner with just Tony, Pepper, and me? "Yeah, definitely."

Tony grinned back at me. "Great! Oh, yeah, before I forget_" He flipped an object toward me; Nova's chip! Although now, it was completely cleaned up, slightly smaller and thinner, and silver in color. If you didn't look at it closely, it almost could be considered a square-shaped silver dollar. 'NOVA' was engraved on it.

"Thought you'd miss her, kiddo," he told me as I caught it reflexively. "And I'm in the process of wiring your room so you can plug her in and use her as your personal assistant instead of Friday. In the meantime, her consciousness will still show up when you want it to."

I was quiet, not sure how to express to Tony how much this meant to me, giving me my AI friend back- but one look told me that he completely got it.


	27. Indexed

"Absolutely not! We put her on that list, and it's like an invitation to grab her to any Joe Evil Guy that can hack SHIELD. It's not that hard, I do it all the time!" Tony shouted at Coulson, Steve, and Bruce the next morning. Well, Coulson had been video called in, but the holo screen was in a spot at the table. They were all slightly irritated at having been woken up too early; Tony hadn't gone to bed yet. He was pacing; the rest were sitting/floating at the dining room table, discussing putting Holly on the Index of Enhanced Humans/Objects, treating her like she was dangerous.

Coulson's calm voice was incredibly irritating this morning. "Tony, she is an enhanced individual. She ever goes rogue, our agents will need to know how to…" he trailed off.

Bruce gave a short, dark laugh, and glared at the screen that showed Coulson. "How to put her down? Or, as SHIELD agents prefer to say, 'cross off'?"

"How to keep her safe from herself," Coulson finished. "It's my understanding that when she loses control, she goes on a short, but powerful melee and then passes out. What if she does and the wrong people find her? If the right people know who she is_"

"Putting her on the Index though? Is that really our only option?" Bruce interrupted. "She's a kid, one that has us around her. She needs help, we can provide it." His eyes were flashing, and Tony felt a surge of gratitude for his friend- mixed in with the fear that Hulk was gonna come out, but hey, it was good to know that Banner wasn't holding a grudge for Holly keeping him from going MIA.

"Besides, Fury said that she wouldn't need to be officially reported. He said we could keep it under wraps," Tony added. "Besides, she won't be using her powers anytime soon, you know? I just don't really see how it's a problem. We'll look after her.

"Fury's not the director anymore, Stark, I am." Coulson squeezed his eyes shut. "Holly's a great kid, sure, but what do any of you really know about her? You only met her a few months ago. She's a mutant with an intellect level that rivals 99% of adults. You don't know what type of intentions she has."

Everyone was quiet for a minute before Steve said, "She's repeatedly risked her own life to help us."

Coulson looked tired. "I know. I know the likelihood is slim. But you guys blowing up a city pissed a lot of people off. If something happens, even by accident, Holly is responsible and we don't put her on the index… well, that could be the end of the Avengers."

"What if I could guarantee that she wouldn't go on a rampage?" Tony cut off Coulson as he stopped pacing and joined the others at the table. He leaned forward and brought out two thin, plain silver bangles. "These cuffs are just like the ones HYDRA slapped on her. I took those ones apart, checked out the tech. They stop her from being able to manipulate energy; they interrupt the magnetic field required for her to affect the particles." Tony looked up at them smugly.

Steve, who had been quiet so far, leaned back and looked thoughtful. "She wears them, she can't hurt anyone, she can't lose control."

"Yes, Spangles, that's what I just said. Keep up," Tony snapped, irritated at Steve for having to state the obvious.

"You're suggesting we make her wear them?" Coulson asked, his voice even, not giving his opinion away. Tony could guess what he thought, though, especially since Holly would be in public on Tuesday, going to school. "Do you really think she'd keep them on? Or would you manufacture it so she can't take them off?"

Tony nodded. "I think it'd be a bad idea to force them on her. She'd keep them on."

Before he could explain, Bruce cut in again. "I think if she was going to accidentally make things happen, she would have. She got stressed out in the hospital, when she found out about SHIELD; Wanda said she sensed the energy building in her, but Holly repressed it. Unless something extreme happens_"

"Our sources say that she killed a man," Coulson said shortly, cutting Bruce off. "If she gets stressed out enough_"

"She's going to wear them until she gets a handle on them, and I'm going to have to manufacture them so she can't take them off," Tony confirmed. He knew that they were right. "If it keeps her from going on the Index… okay."

"It's the right call, Tony," Steve said. "Forget the Index. It's the only way to keep other people safe from her, and her safe from herself," he finished.

"We'll have to observe her powers later today, and decide how dangerous they are… if these cuffs work, and she shows no signs over the next few months of wanting to use her abilities for malignant purposes… then I suppose that I could look the other way, at least until she's legally an adult. After that, she's going on the Index. I'm sorry, Tony. She's a genius and a mutant. It's protocol."

Tony nodded, an ugly look on his face. He'd bought his kid six and a half years before having a label put on her.

"There's something else that we should take into consideration here," Coulson said after Tony accepted his compromise. "Don't freak out, Tony. But Cap here is the only one who's ever been free from negative effects of super soldier serum. Holly might be a walking time bomb."

"I know!" Tony burst out, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm a genius, remember? Trust me, I know."

"I brought it up because I know that Foster and Banner haven't found anything. There's a woman that is- was- doing research on the Inhumans people that are sort of like Holly. Jemma Simmons, a highly trusted SHIELD biochemist. She's the member of my team that was… lost. Her partner, Leo Fitz, is very busy trying to find her, but he has her research, and can compare... until we find Simmons, and then you'll have the best of SHIELD looking at your daughter's samples. Do we have your permission to share your daughter's blood and tissue samples with them? We need to make sure she wasn't injected with any Kree blood. We don't know what was in that serum, and since you guys couldn't find anything…"

"Just do what you need to do," Tony choked out. "But no one else knows. Us, you, Fury, and those two. No one else knows about Holly. Not unless she wants people to know. She deserves that privacy. And you know, it might come in handy for when she needs to kick-ass later."

"Understood. Tony, you know that I care about her, too," Coulson said quietly. "And not just because I want her to be an Avenger, or an agent. She's a great kid." He gave a wry grin. "And she's mellowed out the ego of Tony Stark, so I have to give her kudos for that."

Tony didn't smile back, just clenched his jaw.

"But I don't want to be a blonde," I protested as Natasha held up the box of hair dye.

It was the second to last day of 'summer vacation' before I started school, and Natasha and I had been bantering for the last five minutes about dying my hair. She was on, I found out, 'Hollysitting' duty (as Clint had dubbed it); Dr. Foster had decreed that I should be constantly observed when awake for the next few days, just to double check if I had side effects from my brain being broken. Natasha had been the only one that I was consistently around; everyone else seemed to have their own agenda.

Wanda and Vision hung out together all the time. Bruce, Steve, and Tony kept doing top secret stuff for SHIELD, either down in the lab or what they called 'The Compound', which wasn't far from here by Quinjet. They wouldn't let me go, although Tony halfhearted suggested a 'bring your kid to work day' should be a thing at SHIELD. Pepper was always busy with Stark Industries, and although I didn't think she'd mind me hanging out with her, I didn't really want to watch her answer emails and yell at people all day. She was scary when she got angry. Thor and Jane were off by themselves 'reconnecting', as Nat called it. Clint had been home the last few days, seeing his kids, but would be back tonight. Even though I missed him, it made me happy that he was going to be splitting his time between his Avenger life and his home life. Natasha was the only one that really made me a priority, and I internally yelled at myself for letting that bother me; I knew they had more important things to do, and Natasha and I had just been hanging around the Tower or going to Central Park anyway, nothing too exciting.

But I missed them all, even though I got to see most of them at night. Between trying not to be a pouty kid about my favorite people being so busy and nearly pulling an all-nighter reading the textbook Fury had left me on neuroscience, I was feeling pretty crabby. Reading, and thinking about what I was reading, gave me a pounding headache, but I was confident that I was comprehending the stuff well enough. It felt good to exercise my brain again, to really chew on knowledge. It reminded me of my mad dash to graduate high school and get away from my stepfather, although that plan had been a bust.

I had finally fallen asleep at about four A.M., at my desk, my head on my book. When I woke up at about eleven after almost seven hours of surprisingly restful sleep, there was drool all over the first page of chapter twelve. I really hope that Fury doesn't expect the books back.

Now, I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub on the Stark floor, and Natasha was leaning against the doorframe, one hand on her hip, the other hand holding up the box of SHIELD-strength hair dye. The stuff apparently could make my hair go from black to blonde in ten minutes. For the past couple minutes, we had been bantering back and forth about why it had to be blonde.

In truth, although I didn't care about my hair, it was a weird feeling to be taking on a different identity. Haleigh Stone, high school sophomore that was just above average intelligence; a mother and a father that was married and loved each other, the mom a stay at home mom, the dad a military dad. Moved from New Mexico because my father had been relocated. Apparently, my past had been decided for me while I was sleeping in this morning. I didn't care. Anything was better than the truth, that I was a screwed up kid that got lucky finding a family.

It was almost a relief. I could pretend that I was… normal. Did I want to be normal? I couldn't even pretend to know what normal was.

"Holly, I'm telling you, if you walk into that school with black hair and your normal eye color, you going to maybe get ten steps before you're recognized. We have to go undercover all the time. You want to work with us? I can't tell you the amount of times I've dyed my hair. Plus, it's either this or you keep your hair color but wear a different nanomask that doesn't look anything like your face, and you won't recognize yourself when you look in the mirror. What's it gonna be?"

"Fine," I surrendered without a fight. I hadn't been seriously protesting. I knew it needed to be done. But did it have to be such a drastic opposite? How come I couldn't go brunette?

The dye itched and then burned as it turned my scalp and my eyebrows from black to blonde. "What's a nanomask?" I asked Natasha as the chemicals did their thing.

"The scientific name for it is a Photostatic Veil," Natasha said. "Bruce developed one for you already- well, several, actually, a contingency plan just in case you do need to look completely different in case of an attack- but the one you're going to be wearing looks just like you, just makes your face look a little older and erases your scar."

I ran my finger along the old scar, thinking. I had hated watching the slash from my stepfather scab over and then scar, permanently leaving a mark on the part of my body that I couldn't cover up with clothing or really even with make up. But now, it just sort of seemed like it was part of me.

"Times up, Holly, go ahead and rinse the dye. I'll wait for you out here."

"I look like freaking Elle Woods," I told Natasha flatly after I rinsed the dye out in the shower and redressed, observing my now sandy blonde hair in the mirror. I've tried to tone down my swearing since Steve had re-enforced the swear jar- we didn't play poker every night, after all, and sometimes I did lose, so I had limited funds- but the curse words still slipped out on occasion. Like at lunch, when stubbed my toe on Wanda's chair as I helped clear the table. At least I hadn't lost the most cash towards the jar, that was Clint, although both Clint and I were petitioning to have Thor's weird Asgardian phrases count as curse words.

"No, you look like Haleigh Stone," Natasha corrected. With a smirk, she asked, "Wanna hear a dumb blonde joke?"

"I will kick your butt," I snapped, running my fingers through the hair that didn't seem like my own.

Natasha was used to my trash talk by now- I'd been trying to get her to call my bluff and take me back down to the gym. "I'd love to see you try, Stark."

"You and me, right now," I said, hoping she would slip. I only was allowed a half hour of exercise and an hour of defense training per day, even though I'd truthfully promised that my head was fine.

"I mean, if you want to practice punching technique for an hour straight again…"

I grimaced and let it go. At least we were done dying my hair, I finally was going to be allowed to start working with Wanda to train and manage my mutation.

"Your class schedule should be out today, and way. We can go check that. But first… mutant training with Wanda. Get going, blondie." she easily dodged my half-hearted backhand.

I had been fitted with several monitors that measured various vitals. They were wireless, and didn't impede my movement, but I did feel slightly like a lab rat. The data was going directly to Tony, Steve, Dr. Foster, and Natasha, who were all watching behind a transparent, reinforced barrier. They looked nervous, but that wasn't surprising; it was the first time they would see me use my mutation. Well, the first time that wasn't in the middle of a battle.

I forced myself to ignore the nervous expressions of the adults and focused instead on Wanda, who looked calm and, for the first time since Sokovia, didn't have her grieving face on. At least to me. Vision and Clint was a different story. "Ready to fight, Maximoff?" I asked with a grin.

Wanda didn't seem amused, and she didn't trash talk back. "This isn't a joke, Holly. This could be dangerous. We're focusing on what exactly it is you can do today. You said you can manipulate particles- that's too broad. I want to narrow it down, so you know exactly it is what you can do."

I shrugged. It couldn't be more dangerous than what I had been through so far. "So… are we gonna spar, figure it out by experimenting? Or… what?"

She didn't answer, instead saying, "As you can see, I have on these." She showed me her wrists, and I felt a sickening jolt- they were bangles that had glowing red lights on them. Like the ones in the Red Room. "These block my energy manipulating abilities so they won't interfere with yours."

I felt my heart rate spike, knew they could see it on the monitor. "Where the hell did you get those?" I choked out.

"Stark made them," Wanda said, confused by my reaction.

I wheeled around and stared at my dad threw the transparent barrier, horrified. "You recreated the bangles Ajax threw on me?" I said, my voice shaking. And then… my energy was building, growing. Was this their plan? To piss me off to the point where I was forced into releasing the energy?

"They're different, kiddo," Tony told me through a mic. His face was earnest, worried. "I swear that Wanda can control them. It's a safety mechanism. We don't want either of you two getting hurt because your energies repel each other- she mentioned what happened when you two fought last time…"

The energy was crackling. I didn't say anything.

Wanda stepped forward. "I'm okay. I promise. "Close your eyes, Holly. Focus on what you're feeling."

I didn't move a muscle, sure it was a trap, sure if I did she'd use her energy against me. "No."

"Don't be ridiculous," Wanda said. "I'm not going to attack you."

I closed my eyes.

"What do you see?" Wanda asked gently.

"What do you mean, what do I see?" I asked, irritated, still feeling the buildup of anger and fear. "Nothing. My eyes are closed." But even as I said it, I could feel that I was wrong. By closing my eyes, it had the same effect as working with the sand given to me by the metal-armed man in the Red Room; I could feel the energy all around me, so I had a rough idea of where everything in the room was. However, it was a lot weaker than how it was in the Red Room. My guess was because I wasn't under as severe of stress right now. Mostly, I could feel the energy within myself.

"I need you to concentrate the energy particles you're feeling to one hand." Wanda's words sounded like they were coming from miles away.

I inhaled. Now that I was focused on it, I could feel the strength running through my muscle fibers. This felt right; this felt brilliant.

But it was easier, I realized, to push out energy from core to my hand, than it was for me to pull the energy from the particles surrounding me, so I focused on pushing the energy from my core to my left hand. Who knew if I'd need to hold a gun in my right and manipulate energy with my left?

"My hand's hot," I muttered, feeling the heat all over my palm. It was almost uncomfortable, but not quite.

"Keep focusing on the particles," Wanda said. "And open your eyes."

I opened them and looked down at my hand.

It was as if I had on my suit's gauntlet; it looked like I had a repulsor, with a white light coming from my hand. But this wasn't coming from the Arc Reactor; this was coming from me, from my own energy within.

And already, I could feel the strain.

"Good, Holly," Wanda told me. "Now_"

I couldn't control the energy anymore- it created a small blast, throwing me off my feet. Luckily, I remembered to tuck my chin to my chest and absorb the landing with my back instead of my head, and Wanda somehow got a force field of her red energy up before mine could touch her.

I forced myself to my feet, panting. "Sorry!" I exclaimed, seeing Wanda's disgruntled expression. I had a feeling that although it was necessary for teaching purposes, those bangles had not been her idea. "Sorry, let's try again."

"What did you just feel?" she asked.

I wracked my brain, trying to find the right words to describe it. "I, um, I felt the energy in my core, and I pushed it to my hand, but then it was like I couldn't contain it anymore; like it escaped out."

"Didn't you hear me tell you to pull the energy from the particles around you?" she asked, sounding frustrated.

"It was easier to grab onto my own particles," I explained.

"It may be easier, but I give you maybe ten of those blasts before you pass out. Probably less. If you_"

I tuned Wanda out, not wanting to hear the lecture. When she finally finished talking, I asked, "Well, what about in Sokovia? I created a shield around the core, then channeled the rest into my Arc Reactor to power my suit when I went to get Bruce. That is definitely more than ten blasts of those. Don't underestimate me, Maximoff."

"You're not taking adrenaline right now, Stark," she snapped back. "And you can't rely on that."

"Says who?"

"Me. If you don't want me to teach you how to control your mutation_"

"Okay, okay, fine!" I interrupted. I knew that she was right.

"Again. This time, follow directions."

Every muscle fiber in my body ached, every brain cell felt strained. Mutation training with Wanda was not fun, it didn't even feel useful, but it definitely exhausted me. I barely had the energy to take a shower, but on sweats, and collapse on my bed, and it wasn't even dinnertime yet.

I was able do things with it hopped up on adrenaline- I didn't get why I couldn't just take some before mutation training and really use my abilities. But Bruce and Jane figured- and everyone else agreed with their medical opinions, unfortunately- that my abilities to manipulate particles was like a muscle. As I exercised it, it would get stronger. And unlike when I was hopped up on adrenaline, by doing it this way it would keep me from passing out and losing control.

But doing it this way would be so slow.

The worst part of training was the end. It was obvious- I couldn't control my mutation, I had admitted it and asked Tony for the particle blocking cuffs to wear outside of Avengers Tower. If I hurt an innocent person because I was upset, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I had already killed one person with my mutation on accident. I didn't want to kill another. Tony was surprised, but agreed. had recreated the damn cuffs from the Red Room, the ones that blocked my energy. These were thin and silver, and I hated wearing them just as much. The only difference is, I could control turning them on and off, although I couldn't get them off without Tony's passcode. Right now, they blocking my mutation, but unlike the Red Room ones, they didn't hurt.

I had to become better. I didn't just want to be some useless tagalong kid that screwed up plans and was only alive because I kept getting lucky or I had a suit to do the work for me. My luck would run out, my suit could fail. So I'd push myself, learn how to hit right, to flip someone over my shoulder, to outrun the enemy (only so I could get into a better position to take them down). And I would figure out how to control my mutation.

But man, I sucked at using this 'muscle'. Trying to manipulate the energy in objects out of sheer willpower, instead of being afraid or angry, was similar to trying to grab and hold on to smoke. It was so much easier to access my own, but as Wanda pointed out, I had limited energy. The energy in objects around me was limitless. But we quickly realized that right now, I couldn't pull the energy from objects to create a blast; I could move them, and once I got better, I could possibly change the shape of objects. Eventually, I might be able to pull the energy out and use it it blast people, make a shield, manipulate it into whatever I chose. But depressingly, right now I could barely move a rock the size of a golf ball for more than a minute, and doing so after required heavy concentration; I couldn't focus on anything but keeping it in the air. Just two hours with Wanda completely drained me.

There was a knock on my door. "Holly? It's time for dinner," I heard Pepper say.

I groaned into the mattress. "Not coming, I'm dead," I muttered before rolling over and sitting up. Mother of all head rushes, I felt like crap.

"Everyone's here," she added. "Clint just got back."

I blinked and the black dots in my vision disappeared. "Coming!" I told Pepper.

The inhabitants of Stark Tower were already eating by the time I slogged downstairs and took my place in between Tony and Natasha. Taco night. Glad I got down here before Clint could eat all the guac, although it was great to see him back.

I made myself a plate and started eating, just listening to everyone talk. They were joking and bantering, but I sensed the stress underneath. They didn't like being 'grounded' from missions.

After I had crunched my way through six tacos and Natasha threw a butter knife at Clint so he'd relinquish him 'claim' on some of the chips and guac, Tony stood up.

"Hope you're ready for your welcome home present, kiddo," Tony said, his eyes feverish with excitement.

I contemplated him. "A present? Just for coming home?" I asked, confused.

"Or a going back to school present. Whatever, you want to call it," Tony said.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Tony likes giving people things, and he figured you wouldn't just take something without some sort of occasion," he explained.

Tony just grinned. "Workshop! Let's go."

Tired, I was tired, but Tony's enthusiasm was infectious. I stood up. "Race you!"

"For the record, Tony, I think this is a bad idea!" Pepper warned as the two of us sprinted toward the elevator. I ended up hitting the button first, but when the elevator opened, Tony grabbed me around the middle and yanked me backwards before I could get on, so he stepped in first.

He smirked and pressed the button leading to the basement before I could. "I won."

"Cheater, you pulled me back!"

"Who's the parent?" Natasha muttered.

"Neither," we heard the group chorus as the doors closed.

Tony and I both rolled our eyes.

"So what do you have to show me?" I asked as I felt the elevator descend into the basement of the Tower.

"Not show, give," Tony contradicted.

I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward. "Dad, you've already given me a lot_"

"I'm a billionaire, money doesn't matter_"

"Not that, you gave me a shot at a life_"

"You're a genius, you would have survived_"

"_Where I was happy instead of surviving," I finished, glaring. "You don't need to give me anything else! I want to earn it."

Tony rolled his eyes. "You know, CPS is evaluating if I'm a suitable father." He shifted his weight. "Once they do… if you want… I can officially become your legal guardian."

I smiled at him. He was worried for nothing. "C'mon, Dad," I said, stressing the noun. "You think that a piece of paper will make a difference?"

Tony's face broke into a grin. "Well, you're the direct beneficiary to the entirety of Stark Industries once that happens. What's mine is, or will be yours."

"Aw, you mean I can finally join the family business? Make clean energy? Save the planet both from global warming and aliens?"

Tony laughed, and the doors to the workshop opened.

I cautiously stepped out. The last time I had been in here, I had been attacked and kidnapped…

"How awesome is this?" Tony asked, jerking me out of my memories.

I forced myself to focus. The workshop had changed. Now, instead of just one big room with inventions in various parts of completion, there were three different rooms, divided by glass walls so you could see into all of them. Tony's was the biggest, right in the middle of the two, and was still unorganized, with what looked like over a dozen Iron Man suits in various degrees of completion. Bruce's was to the right of his, meticulously neat and filled with medical equipment and the latest and greatest StarkTech computers.

And then to the left… my jaw dropped. StarkTech monitors, several different workbenches, what looked like a holotable, like my dad had… and my suit. My completed suit. My dad had rebuilt it for me.

I slowly walked over and put my palm on the keypad, then looked into the retina scanner. The glass door slid open.

The toolkit that I had brought from Tempe had been placed on one of the workbenches, next to the two cuffs that could call my suit to me. "The Iron Shorty will come to you whenever you want it, wearing those," Tony told me, breaking the silence. "I kept the command- 'Go Nova'. You can upgrade your suit, build a few new ones, build whatever you want- if you need the materials, there's a storeroom next to the elevator, or-" Tony tapped a few commands, and on one of the monitors, a list showed up "-you can order whatever parts you need. This is hooked up to my bank account. Order whatever you parts or tools you want. But if you want to rent a movie, you have to ask."

I snorted, sliding the suit-calling bangles on, right next to the energy-blocking ones. Tony would let me buy thousands of dollars worth of parts, but if I wanted to rent a movie… of course, he was probably being sarcastic.

"Do you like it?" Tony pressed, sounding worried. "If you don't, you can rearrange it however you'd like-"

"Dad!" I interrupted before he could go off on a tangent. "I love it. Thank you."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "What doesn't kill you gives you, it gives you a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms. I'm hoping this will help."


	28. First Day: Part One

I had spent Labor Day down in the workshop. I had already drafted plans for another suit, one that I could have the hand pieces retract so I could energy bend while wearing the suit. The other tech I was working on was the stupid pair of glasses I had to wear as part of my disguise; I didn't look bad in them, but if I was going to wear them, I was going to trick them out, make them useful.

Tony knocked on the glass door, and I buzzed him in, although we both knew that he could walk in anytime he wanted. "Hey, kiddo," he said as he entered, carrying an unassuming black backpack. He looked tired, but pleased with himself. He threw the backpack at me. "Got you a present."

I caught it; it was heavy, my guess was about twenty-five pounds. What the heck did Tony put in it? Rocks? I unzipped the big compartment; it was empty. I zipped it back up and looked back at Tony, confused.

Tony smirked at me. "Try it on, short stuff," he ordered. Feeling like an idiot, I slipped on the pack and stood up. "Now I know how much you hate those energy blocking cuffs. I'm sorry you have to wear them, even though you understand - keep this low key, I didn't tell anyone else-I tricked it out. You can call your suit to you using them." His eyes glittered mischievously. "Okay. Call your suit to you," he ordered. "Same code word you used the first time you hacked it. But since you have multiple suits now, the closest completed one is activated."

I now had a feeling where this was going, with my mysteriously heavy backpack. "Go, Nova!"

I felt the weight shift from my backpack and start to expand. Less than fifteen seconds later, I was completely encased in the blue and green suit. "Hey, Holly," Nova greeted me as the HUD lit up.

I turned to Tony. "This is so cool! Thanks! How'd you get Nova in here? I thought- I have her chip plugged into my workshop space right now-"

He shrugged and cut me off. "Same way that Friday can be in Stark Tower and with my suit. I'll show you the tech sometime- basically, it's a chip that's tied directly to that AI's interface; wherever the chip is plugged in, Nova can access. I have a bunch made, I'll give you some."

"Thanks Dad! Nova_ can you retract this into the backpack, please?"

Twenty seconds later, and I was standing in just my clothes and shoes, the black backpack on my back, looking innocent. "Figured it'd put your mind- and mine- at ease if you had quick access to a suit whenever you needed," Tony shrugged. "I have my briefcase, but it'd look stupid if you walked into Midtown with one. And yes, you can put stuff in it; if you need the suit, the bottom opens and the stuff falls out."

I looked at him in awe. "You're a genius."

Tony smirked. "So are you. What are you working on?"

I blanked my display. "I'll show you when I'm done." At his hurt expression, I hastily explained, "It's not cool enough yet."

Tony nodded, but I don't think he understood. This had to be cool, it had to impress him. "Got it. Well, if you need anyone to bounce ideas off of, I'm here."

He made to exit my workshop, but then turned. "Oh, yeah, it's almost ten- start wrapping it up, you've got school in the morning."

I looked at him in disbelief.

He kept a straight face for all of ten seconds before cracking up. After he stopped laughing, he shrugged and held up his hands in defense. "Sorry! Pepper told me to say that."

I smiled. "I'll go up in a bit. Goodnight, Dad. Love you."

"Love you too, kiddo. Don't tell anyone that I gave you a concealed weapon of mass destruction. Can't let anyone think I'm irresponsible or something."

I tossed and turned that night, trying to sleep. I didn't know what I was so nervous about; the other kids would likely ignore me; this was a big school. One more student wouldn't make a difference. I finally gave up and started reading Fury's books again after two in the morning. If I couldn't sleep, I might as well do something useful.

I felt a gentle hand shaking me and was instantly alert, although it took a second to figure out where I was- in my bed in Stark Tower, drooling all over the book I had fallen asleep reading. When I realized that it was Pepper shaking me, and I had to get up and get ready for school, I pulled my pillow over my head and groaned.

I wasn't sure when I had fallen asleep- the last time I had checked the clock was just after four in the morning. Either way, I had a killer headache and was _not_ ready to take on the day.

"Are you okay, Holly?" Pepper asked. "Friday, dim the lights."

"My head hurts," I told her flatly. "Why didn't my alarm go off?"

Pepper grinned. "It did. You should probably apologize to Friday. Don't worry, you were sleeping, we won't count it against you."

I smiled a little, wondering what obscenities I had said. "What time is it?"

"Almost six thirty."

I threw off the covers and stumbled to my feet, asking, "Why didn't anyone wake me for training? I was supposed to be in the gym over an hour ago."

Pepper held onto my wrist to stop me from grabbing my workout clothes. "It's too late now. Besides, everyone thought you could use a break. See what school is like before you jump into training before."

"That's stupid. I _like_ training, training isn't going to be the problem," I grumbled, grouchy as I opened my closet and grabbed dark skinny jeans, black Converse, a NYU t-shirt and a grey jacket.

"You're not going to wear anything… a little nicer?" Pepper said, clearly struggling with my wardrobe choices.

"No," I said shortly. I was more awake now, and I felt bad I was being so rude to Pepper. "I'm trying to blend in," I explained to her. "I don't want to look as fabulous as you'd make me look," I added with a grin. Terrible lie, and Pepper knew it, but she didn't push me.

"Clint's making breakfast for you," Pepper added. "And Bruce has your nanomask ready. When you're done getting ready, come down. Do you need help with your hair or anything?"

I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself that I was just strung out on nerves and Pepper was just trying to help. "No, thank you. I'm good."

Pepper left the room and headed down to the communal floor, where Steve, Natasha, Bruce, and Tony were drinking coffee. Clint was at the stove.

"How's she doing?" Clint asked as he pulled cinnamon rolls out of the oven.

"Grouchy, I don't think she slept well last night, but I don't think she had any trauma-related nightmares," Pepper informed them. "Her face was stuck to a textbook when I woke her up. We're going to have to make sure that she's getting enough sleep."

Steve grimaced. Because he and Natasha were both escorting Holly to school today, He had spray-dyed his hair brown, had on rectangular glasses slightly similar to Holly's, and was wearing a button up and jeans. "High school _is_ a trauma," he told them sourly.

"Don't tell my kid that," Tony sighed, setting down his now empty cup. He had slept a bit last night, but it was obvious that he was worried out of his mind. "We'll talk to her about staying up too late. Social services comes and she's a zombie, that won't look good on us. Not today though, she has enough to worry about."

"She's tough," Clint said. "She'll be fine."

I was so stupid to agree to this. I scrambled into the clothes that Pepper has disapproved of, left my hair down (but tucked a hair tie into my jeans pocket with Nova, just in case I'd need to put it up to fight), and laced up my Converse. I hated looking at myself in the mirror- not because of the usual reason, but because it reminded me of what was to come.

When I walked out of the elevator, my backpack's weight reassuring, I tried to have a swagger. I didn't think I fooled anyone, and they returned my forced 'good morning' a bit too cheerfully. I was so glad I had the bangles, despite the negative memories every time I saw them on my wrists. My energy would be going haywire right now with the stress otherwise.

Clint handed me a plate that had fruit and a cinnamon roll on it, and to show them that I didn't care, I nonchalantly took a bite. But Clint's normally fantastic cooking tasted like sawdust, and the tension in the room was obvious.

My mind was thinking back to the other 'first day of school' events I'd suffered through. I'd had to get myself on the bus the first day of kindergarten- my mom was at work. Then in class, being labeled as weird, as a freak, because I could read and do multiplication and division and speak like a fourth grader. Then, starting school for the first time after my stepfather had come into the picture, all of the questions about the bruises, my neglected appearance. The shame that came with it.

No one had ever made me breakfast for the first day of school. No one had ever seen me off and wished me good luck.

I felt a lump in my throat that had nothing to do with nerves, and I stopped pretending to eat.

I heard Bruce clear his throat and snapped to attention. "It's almost time for you to leave. Let's get the nanomask on."

I stood up and walked over to his place. Tony was right next to me, talking a million miles an hour. "You'll be able to take it off as soon as you get home. No sweat."

Bruce gently picked up the thin piece of plastic looking material. "Stay still," he said quietly. As he applied the nanomask to my face, he explained to me how it worked. It didn't feel like anything was touching my face; that was weird. "The Photostatic Veil is a thin, mesh veil of programmable, nano-sized holographic cells, creating a photostatic surface that can mimic the appearance of anybody's face," he smoothed down an area by my hairline. "We imitated your face and then played with it. You'll look older, your scars will be erased. And also, you'll never have to worry about applying makeup- Natasha's suggestion there."

Seeing my disgruntled expression, Natasha put her hands up. "It's just subtle enough to make you look older. Don't be a baby."

Bruce put his hands down. "Done."

I realized everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"Get her a mirror," Pepper said in a hushed voice.

"No," I snapped, then felt bad about it. "I'm sure it looks great, Bruce," I added. "Thank you. Thanks for the work you put into it." I hoped that I sounded sincere enough.

Steve stood up and gave me a small smile. "It's time to go. Ready, champ?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"Wait! Picture!"

But I don't even look like myself, I wanted to say to Pepper. Instead, I looked at her and Tony's faces. And I realized, although I didn't understand, that this was a big moment for them, and they'd already missed out on so many big moments for me that they might have wanted to have. I could give them this one.

And they cared enough _to_ do it.

So I forced a smile and stood up, shouldering my backpack. "Let's do it!"

After Pepper snapped what felt like a million photos of me awkwardly standing with my back to the windows in the living room, both with and without Tony, I got an idea. "Pepper! Get in here."

Sure enough, she beamed- and handed the phone to Steve, who would probably look more comfortable if you'd have handed him a grenade.

"Bruce," Tony said quietly. With Tony and Pepper on either side of me, I actually did feel comfortable.

Steve handed the phone to Bruce, who snapped the picture.

"Okay, kid," Tony began as soon as Bruce lowered the phone. He stooped down so he was eye level. "Listen up. I can't come drop you off, can't pick you up, can't come near the school- it'd be too obvious to anyone watching. This here_" he took out a thin silver rectangle "_is a StarkTech phone. Use it if you need anything. Got it? Anything at all. It's got all of our numbers programmed in under code names. Pretty sure you can figure them out." He smirked before continuing, and I was sure that all of the code names but his were mildly insulting. "It only unlocks with your fingerprint and your retina scan. And Nova's got a chip in there. Super evolved Siri." His face turned serious. "If you get into trouble, scream 'Avengers, Assemble'. It's keyed to your voice, and Nova will call us straightaway with your location. Okay?"

I was embarrassed. The workshop, the suits, Nova, now this? A cell phone? Last time I was a student, I didn't have two nickels to rub together. I didn't even know what to say. "Dad, thanks!"

Pepper cleared her throat, and Tony rolled his eyes. "But we reserve the right to take it at any time, and it's only for when you're out of the tower. At least until you turn thirteen and can spend all your free time on social media. Responsible parenting. Or something."

Everyone laughed, and I wondered what everyone's reactions would be if they knew I was carrying a suit around in my backpack next to my Avengers-themed folders and my Five Star notebooks.

Midtown High wasn't exactly close to Stark Tower, which made me wonder why I was going there instead of a school that was, well, local. But then I realized that it probably would help me keep my cover, not being close to Stark Tower. The realization didn't make me feel any better.

Before I left, it was explained to me that after this morning, either Natasha or Steve would be taking me to and picking me up from school. On the off chance they weren't available, Clint or Thor and Jane would take me. They told me I was not allowed to leave the school building without them. There was an adult- they wouldn't tell me who- that was a SHIELD agent assigned to me for protection. If I felt like something was wrong, I was to contact the Avengers immediately, and not take any chances.

I promised to do as they said. I knew that the restrictions were necessary, but they felt sort of suffocating. I had a suit; I had fought alongside them in the Battle of Sokovia; I was a mutant. It wasn't like I was totally helpless.

The walk and the ride on the subway took close to forty minutes, which in my opinion, wasn't long enough. I was tense and knew that I looked it as I switched from spinning the bangles on my wrists to gripping Nova's chip and back. Steve seemed to be on edge as well. But Natasha was weirdly more talkative than normal, talking about going shopping and how she was going to decorate the apartment…

That we didn't have. Natasha was so good at pretending, at _lying,_ it was scary. Of course, being one of the best spies- if not the best- in the world, she had to be good at lying. Part of me wondered- had she lied to me? If she had, I never would notice. I also wondered how many weapons she had tucked into her 'Mom' clothes; despite her relaxed attitude, I knew she was on high alert, and Steve and Natasha walked on either side of me.

Too soon, we stepped onto the grounds of Midtown High. We were ridiculously early, so although it appeared like most staff members were there, there weren't many kids. Although kids weren't the words I'd use to describe them- they were huge. The school itself was huge. It was a massive brick building, three stories, and worst of all, it didn't have windows. At least not facing the front of the school. Wasn't that a fire hazard or something? How would you escape, if you needed to? I stopped walking and looked at Natasha, my feelings written all over my face.

Her eyes changed for a split second, but then fake Natasha was back. "I know it's scary starting a new school. But think of all the people you'll meet, and the new friends you'll make!"

Steve's face was also showing how weirded out he was by Natasha. I was glad it wasn't just me.

" _Haleigh_ ," she stressed. "It's going to be okay."

I knew what she meant, to both Steve and me- get into character.

But all I could do was nod.

Inside the building itself wasn't too bad. It was like the middle school I had attended, just bigger. Lockers lined the walls, art projects and motivational posters were haphazardly taped on bulletin boards.

"We need to find the administration office," Steve muttered. "Get you enrolled for classes. What ones are you hoping for, kiddo?"

I shrugged, but both of them were looking at me expectantly. "Maybe autoshop. That'd be cool." My voice cracked. I went from being afraid to being angry at myself. I could survive being abused and tortured, mutated, fighting evil robots, but high school scared me?

I squared my shoulders. Natasha nodded approvingly, and Steve smiled at me, like they knew what had just gone through my head.

We entered the office. No windows in here, either, just an older woman sitting at a desk, typing away at a computer that was sitting next to a printer. Newer tech, but not StarkTech. 'Mrs. Pertlan' was scribed on the wooden nameplate. There were two wooden chairs in front of the desk, filing cabinets lining the walls, and a sad-looking plant in the corner. No natural light, and what felt like no air flow. How did these people handle this?

Steve cleared his throat. "Hello. We're here to register Haleigh Stone for her classes."

Mrs. Pertlan looked up, smiled. I didn't relax. "Hello!"

"I called last week," Natasha said, striding forward and shaking hands with her. Steve followed suit, steering me into the office and shutting the door behind him.

"Yes, you must be Natalie. And you must be James. So nice to meet you in person," she said, shaking their hands. "And you're Haleigh." She stuck out her hand, smiling. Did her face hurt from smiling so much? "Nice to meet you too. I really hope you like it here."

I forced myself to smile and reached out my hand to shake hers, but too late, I realized I had held out my left hand. I quickly corrected myself, blushing.

"Haleigh, what do you say?" Steve asked me, his voice stern, scary. I looked up at him, alarmed at his tone.

'Nice to meet you' Natasha mouthed behind his back. Oh, duh. Steve was pretending to be a military dad. Of course, it was also just good manners.

I turned back toward Mrs. Pertlan and forced a smile again. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." I turned to Steve. "Sorry, Dad. I'm still not awake yet, I guess." That was a lie. I was hyper alert. Felt weird calling Steve 'Dad'. I had barely gotten used to calling Tony that.

Steve smiled. "I know, kiddo. But summer's over. Time to get your head back into the game." I got the double meaning.

"So, getting down to business," Mrs. Pertlan said, going back behind her desk and sitting down. Natasha sat down in one chair, and Steve directed me to the other. I sat on the edge. My feet wouldn't be able to touch the floor otherwise, and besides, I still had my backpack on. I wasn't planning on taking it off anytime soon.

"You have all of Haleigh's paperwork I sent you?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, including the IQ testing and the standardized results," Mrs. Pertlan said. "Your daughter is very gifted."

I turned to Natasha, glaring. I thought I wasn't supposed to be the genius freak this time around?

"Haleigh, I've told you a million times, an IQ of 142 is nothing to be ashamed of," Natasha said gently, putting her hand on my knee.

Wow, rude. They knocked me down over 40 IQ points? Well, I guess that was a normal genius.

Steve explained to Mrs. Pertlan, "She's pretty modest." He shrugged. "Doesn't like to brag about it."

"She could probably graduate a year early," Mrs. Pertlan said, not to me, but to Steve and Natasha. "Wouldn't you want her to_"

"She already skipped a grade." Steve said flatly. I tried not to laugh. Try six grades, Rogers.

Natasha added, "We want to make sure she's socializing with her peers."

I tried not to vomit. But I knew that there was truth in that sentence, I wasn't an idiot. The Avengers, for whatever reason, did want me to be able to blend in with other kids. Probably because they thought it was important for me. Fury likely had an alternative reason why, and I knew whose reasoning I liked better.

"But it's still important to us that she isn't bored," Natasha said. "Which is why we were thinking about putting her in advanced sophomore English, mathematics, and history, but having her in a harder science class." I hoped that I got to pick which one. Of course, I _would_ be bored out of my mind in the other three core classes.

"I don't see a problem with that," Mrs. Pertlan shrugged, and my mouth almost dropped open. The Arizona school threw me through courses as fast as they could. Used me as a prodigy to boost their test scores. Granted, I didn't have parents advocating for me in Arizona.

Natasha smiled. "Great."

Mrs. Pertlan typed for a minute on her computer, then looked up again. "How does AP Chemistry sound?" she asked.

I tried not to make a face. AP chemistry wasn't tough, but the homework was murder. All busy work, basically, if you knew what to do. And the experiments were straightforward, easy. "Are there any other courses?" I asked. Anatomy, maybe AP physics? Physiology?

"Only introduction to physics," she said, and my face fell. "That's a sophomore class."

"AP Chem sounds fun," I said, trying to put some enthusiasm into my voice.

"The teacher of that class is excellent; Mr. Malik produces some of the best scores in the state every year, and even though the class is a lot of work, the kids love him," she told Natasha and Steve, who nodded like they cared. "Now, every freshman sophomore is required to take a gym class. We did get Haleigh's medical files and understand that she can not participate in contact sports." I didn't know that the school would know about my head injury. Guess it made sense.

"Is that a problem for the course?" Steve wondered.

"No, we have other students that have the same dilemma." She took a swig of coffee. "Haleigh, when they're doing activities that you cannot participate in, you'll go check in with the gym teacher every day, but they you'll go to the library and do a report about something health or fitness related. Right now they're doing flag football. Would you feel comfortable with her participating in that?" she looked at Steve and Natasha.

"Absolutely not," Steve said, and I was surprised. I could spar with Natasha, but not play flag football? There wasn't too much contact in that. "She can't risk another head injury."

She nodded. "I'll send an email to Mr. Chalker. "Now, last thing; normally, sophomores have a choice of an elective. However, the only elective that fits in with your schedule now is home economics."

I made a face before I could help myself, and Pertlan laughed at me as Natasha smirked a little. Steve was stoic. "I was hoping for shop," I said, a little defensive.

"Next semester," Mrs. Pertlan said, hitting a command on the keyboard.

The printer whirred and spit my schedule out. She handed it to me, along with a map of the school.

1st Hour- AP Chemistry

2nd Hour- Honors English 10

3rd Hour- Honors Geometry

4th- HR/Lunch

5th- World History

6th- Home Economics

7th- Gym

I tried not to make a face as I read all the classes I had already taken, the teachers of them, and room numbers they were held in. This was just stupid, I was going to be bored out of my skull.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stone, you just need to fill out some paperwork. Haleigh, will you be able to find your 1st hour, or would you like me to find someone to walk you there?" Pertlan asked.

"I'll be okay," I said, my voice rough. Now it was starting to hit me again that Natasha and Steve were leaving me, and I'd be completely on my own. Good thing I had the bangles, or I'd have probably blown up the office by now.

"Have a good day," Mrs. Pertlan said, getting up and opening the office door for me. "Make sure to ask if you need anything, okay?"

"Of course, thank you so much for your help," I told her, mostly so Steve wouldn't yell at me again.

Natasha hugged me and kissed my forehead. "Have a great first day, sweetheart. I'll meet you at the front gates after school, okay?" I nodded, speechless again.

Steve gave me a side hug. "Make sure you're on your best behavior," he said gruffly. "Love you, kiddo."

"Bye," I finally said, a little choked up, but not because I was nervous. This was officially the weirdest first day of my life, having people care about school for me.

I stood up, clutching my schedule in my hand, and walked out the door, forcing myself not to look back and beg them to take me back to Stark Tower, back to my workshop and the Avengers, where I belonged.

Kids had shown up while I was getting my schedule squared away. With a relief, I saw that most of them were dressed like I was- jeans and a t shirt. Some of the girls were more dressed up, but they were the ones that I probably wouldn't want to hang out with anyway.

But they were all bigger than me. Some were bigger than Natasha, Clint, Tony, and Bruce. They looked like adults, but acted like idiots. I tried to keep a bored expression on my face as I weaved my way through the crowd to what was hopefully the right direction to my class. My locker was listed on my schedule, but I'd find it later. It wasn't like I had anything to put in my locker yet, anyway. I just wanted to slip into a seat in the back of a classroom and be able to think.

It didn't take me long to locate the AP Chemistry room. I stumbled in. Half a lab, half a classroom, It was the first time I felt almost comfortable. If there weren't already people there, I probably could have relaxed. A few students were doing an experiment at a lab table with a Bunsen burner. A teacher with a graying crew cut- maybe Mr. Malik? Was writing on the whiteboard. And another student was sitting at one of the front tables on the classroom side, reading the chemistry textbook. Nerd.

The teacher must have noticed me awkwardly standing there. "Haleigh Stone?" He asked. I nodded, my voice suddenly not working again. I couldn't look him in the face without feeling panicky. What if he saw through me, through the glasses and the blonde hair? What if he realized who I really was? What would I do?

"Welcome to Midtown High," he told me warmly. "We can get you your textbook after class. There's already an established seating chart- the only open seat is over there. He's a junior, and the rest of the students are seniors, so that works out well- you two underdogs will be able to stick it out together." He smiled and pointed to the table where the nerd reading the textbook was. "You two will also be lab partners for this semester. Do you have any questions?"

I glanced at him, glanced back at my high-tops, and shook my head.

"If you need anything, let me know." He turned back to the whiteboard.

I stumbled over to the table where the nerd guy was sitting, pulled out a notebook and a pencil, and carefully placed my backpack on the ground. Pulling out the chair was louder than a saw as it scraped against the floor. I sat down; my feet couldn't touch the floor again.I stared at the tabletop. "My name's Haleigh," I said to my lab partner, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn't say anything for a second, so I assumed he didn't hear me. I was about to say it again when he said, quiet but abrupt, "I know. I heard Mr. Malik say it." He didn't say anything else, didn't look at me.

I looked at what he was reading, and I realized- he was doing entropy equations, not just reading. "Your answers wrong," I blurted.

He looked up, and I felt like there was ice in my chest. Messy brown hair, sleep-deprived eyes. "Yeah. I know. I'm terrible at these." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Do you want help?" I offered. "I_ um, learned about it last year."

The kid slowly scrawled another problem down. And shifted it to me.

A minute later, after borrowing his scientific notation function calculator, I was done. I slid it back over, and he checked the answer in the back of the book.

"Can you explain it to me?" He asked, his voice excited now, not cold. I relaxed a little and nodded.

So as the rest of the students filed in, threw bits of paper at one another, and showed off their cell phones and clothes, I explained what I had done. While I was explaining it, some jerk wearing a letter jacket shoved my lab partner's book off his desk. But he didn't even look over, so I just kept explaining, although I noted that Mr. Malik had noticed and didn't say anything about the blatant bullying that had taken place right in front of him.

The guy's smile grew. I noticed for the first time that he wasn't a giant like the other kids- he was skinny and lanky, but shorter than Natasha. "Thanks. I get it now." He quickly began to do another equation. I watched him try to solve the first problem, and then I realized- it wasn't in the book. He had made it up.

I curiously watched him; the figures he made up couldn't have been random. He was a junior in an advanced science class. Was he actually intelligent?

He solved it, circled the answer, and hesitantly showed it to me. "Did I do the steps right?" His voice sounded strange; it was like he wanted the answer to be wrong.

My eyes scanned his work. "Yeah." I slid it back to him.

He sighed, obviously irritated. "That's too hot to touch human skin," he muttered, dejected.

My curiosity piqued, I quickly did some backwards problem solving, then wrote down the values. "Try those." It was obvious to me- he was building something.

"If you can hear me, clap one time!" Mr. Malik called above the ruckus, too enthusiastic for 1st period. The class responded, and he began class. My lab partner and I immediately faced forward and started taking notes, and my anxiety increased as I forgot about entropy and stared around at the other kids.

We were quiet, until about halfway through the lecture on titration- six chapters before what my lab partner had been working on.

My lab partner shoved a piece of paper toward me as Malik turned around to demonstrate a problem on the board. I assumed that it was the entropy problem, so I was shocked when I realized it was a note. _Thanks for helping me,_ it read. _I'm Peter Parker._


	29. First Day: Part Two

The Tower was different without Holly there.

The Avengers went about their business, and they were busy, of course, but it was strange to not have her with one of them, watching their work with inquisitive eyes.

"Why hasn't she texted me?" Tony griped for the tenth time in the last hour since Steve and Natasha had returned.

"I told you, Tony," Natasha sighed. "The school has a policy- they can only use them between classes. She's fine."

"What is this, the dark ages? Not letting kids use tech," he huffed. "Pretend like you aren't checking your phone every three seconds too, Romanoff," Tony snapped after Natasha rolled her eyes.

The rest of the period dragged by, my anxiety building by the minute as I gripped Nova's chip. I felt like I was waiting for someone to see through my disguise.

But it helped, knowing that I had my suit, that Nova was with me. I wasn't really alone.

It also helped sitting next to Peter Parker. We didn't talk- I didn't want to get yelled at the first day, and Parker was focused on the lecture, taking detailed notes- but it still made me feel less alone. I knew someone's name, at least. And I bet if we were attacked, I could outrun the scrawny dude.

But now the 55 minutes were over, and I had five minutes to get to my next class- Honors English. I wish they had put me in regular English instead. English class was one of the few things- scratch that, the only thing- that I had struggled in. I could read a book, any book, and comprehend it. I could write a summary about what I had read that was pretty organized. Who cared about grammar and spelling? Who cared that if I read out loud to the class, I'd get nervous and stutter and mispronounce words that I could hear and remember perfectly when I read silently in my head?

Not the school in Tempe, that's for damn sure.

I scrawled the homework assignment for chem at the end of today's notes, a habit I had formed last time I was in high school. Wasn't too bad- ten problems and prelab questions for the experiment tomorrow.

English was as bad as I expected. For one; the teacher, Ms. Carson, made me stand up and introduce myself in front of the class. I stammered out my name and fought the urge to start playing with Nova's chip, bolt from the room, or call my suit to me as I felt all those eyes boring into me. But I saw in their expressions that they were sizing me up, not recognizing me; I wasn't a threat to the hierarchy, not glamorous or athletic looking, not overly smart.

Of course, they didn't know me yet. Had to blend in so they wouldn't.

We had a seating chart in this class, too; I was seated next to some goth girl that just chewed her gum and sat there with an annoyed expression on her face, tweeting under the table on her iPhone. Sometimes, she'd run her hand over her short, almost shaved, black hair, like she was stressed about something. But she ignored me, thankfully. When Ms. Carson called on her for the answer to a grammar problem (which I'd had wrong), she'd called her Ellie, which was totally a misnomer. Carson ended the class by assigning us to read the first two chapters of the book _The Life of Pi,_ define the twenty vocabulary words she'd given us, _and_ a grammar worksheet. Stupid.

Geometry was probably the best class so far, because everyone left me alone. I didn't have to introduce myself to the class; just a quick handshake with Mr. Reed, he handed me the book, taught the lesson, assigned us thirty problems for homework. It was more work than I could finish in the 15 minutes he gave us, and I was bitter- this day was turning into quite the pile of homework, which I'd have to do before I could get back down to the workshop. Well, maybe not. Maybe Haleigh Stone was a slacker…

Of course, Holly Stark had tried that. For two days. Before my mom backhanded me and knocked out a tooth. A baby tooth, thankfully. But still.

Homeroom was basically a study hall. Mrs. Navarette seemed nice. She let the students talk during home room, as long as we were being productive and not too loud. I tried to work up the nerve to say something to the other sophomores, but their conversations seemed stupid and shallow, and I couldn't think of anything to contribute.

At least no one hated me yet. At least they just ignored me. There were a lot of students in the school. Maybe I could just lie to the Avengers and pretend like I was having fun and making friends.

They'd realize I _could_ socialize with other kids and let me not go anymore.

Right.

Eventually, I gave up on the stupid grammar assignment and asked Navarette if I could go find my locker. She seemed a little ditzy, because she hadn't seemed to notice that a new kid had popped up on her roll call. Then she gave me a school-issued planner and informed me that I had to write down my assignments and my parents had to sign it. Great- there went my plan of being a slacker.

When I finally located my locker and got the rusty combination lock unstuck, it was time for lunch, and as I made my way to the cafeteria, I realized that not only did I have no friends-or even acquaintances, unless I counted Peter Parker (which I didn't)- to sit by, I also didn't have a lunch.

So I sat at an empty lunch table on the edge of the room, feeling stupid, wishing there were windows in this joint so I wouldn't feel so trapped. It wasn't like I was hungry. My stomach still was doing backflips from the anxiety of the morning. Besides, if I wanted lunch,I could buy one. I technically had, along with my fake ID, real ID, and slim poker winnings, 2 credit cards- One my real name, one Haleigh Stone. Tony had given them to me for emergencies. The real stuff was hidden in a compartment that only opened with my fingerprint. I could buy some food.

But this wasn't an emergency. I had gone much longer than a couple of hours without food before. And I didn't know what Tony considered an emergency. I was old enough to pack myself a lunch. It was my fault that I'd forgotten. I pushed the thought of lunch out of my mind and reached into my backpack for the stupid English assignment.

I saw my phone and grabbed that instead, wondering if the Avengers had contacted me. The way that high school was a ridiculous bubble, World War three could have broken out and I wouldn't have known it.

I had seventeen text messages, all from Tony, who was underneath the contact name (quite obviously) T-Money. The last text sent a shock through my spine.

 **Kid, if you don't text me back before 1, I'm coming to get you. I know you've got lunch. Check your phone!**

I realized that most of the seventeen just asked if I was okay and if I was having fun. I quickly typed back,'I'm okay, bored, I'll tell you more about it tonight.' I didn't know what else I could say without lying to him. It wouldn't make him feel better if I was miserable.

Just as I hit send, a quiet voice asked , "Hey, Haleigh, mind if I sit here?" I glanced up and put my phone away, knowing it was Peter. Didn't this kid have other friends? Or maybe he was the type that'd take pity on the new kid.

"My buddy is in the lunch after us," he said after I didn't say anything. "And, well, I don't blame you if you don't want me to, it's basically an invitation for jerks to come ruin your lunch, I just don't have anywhere else to_" he was rambling like I did when I was nervous.

"Go ahead," I said, nodding at the seat across from me.

He smiled in relief and took a seat on the bench, pulling a brown lunch bag out of his backpack . "Thanks. I don't know where else I would have sat. I'm kinda a loser, if you haven't noticed." His smile turned from relieved to bitter.

"I didn't think you were," I said, shrugging, putting down my pencil and watching Parker unwrap a sandwich. "You're smarter than them, they hate you for it. But they can't admit it, so they pick on you instead."

"Sounds like you're talking from experience," he said, taking a bite.

I shrugged, choosing not to answer.

"Did you eat already?" He asked.

I considered lying, but so far, I hadn't lied about anything other than my name, and part of me wanted to keep it that way. "No, I forgot to pack a lunch. I've got money, but I don't want to waste it on a school lunch, if it's as good at if smells." The burgers and fries definitely did not smell appetizing.

"Don't blame you. Here, you can have some of mine," he offered. "My Aunt May, she always packs me too much food. Something about how I'm skin and bones." He held out half his sandwich, and I stared at it, a lump in my throat. In Tempe, when it was obvious that I was starving, no one offered me anything. I'd stolen it, when I'd gotten desperate enough.

I wasn't starving now.

"No, really, I'm good," I insisted. I forced a smile. So Parker lived with his aunt. "But thanks."

* * *

The rest of lunch was okay. Peter ate, I did homework. We didn't talk, but it wasn't uncomfortable. When the bell rang, dismissing us, he paused. "Do you need help finding where your next class is?"

My first reaction was to tell him that I was good. But truth was, I didn't think I could find it in five minutes. It would be on the third floor, seeing as it was classroom 312; all of my other classes so far had been on the first, and I didn't know where the stairs were, hadn't even passed something resembling a staircase. "Yeah," I admitted quietly. "I have World History with Denniss next."

"Oh, you'll like him," Peter said enthusiastically. "Don't fall asleep in his class though- he'll throw markers at you. His class is on the third floor- the stairs are right across from the cafeteria, behind the double doors."

We exited the cafeteria. "Thanks," I said sincerely. He'd keep me from being late to class, at least.

"See you in chem tomorrow," he said casually.

I shook my head and watched him walk off. It was weird; I'd seen how guys acted around girls in middle school- like total idiots, trying to flirt. And Parker didn't seem like that at all- he had completely ignored me in chem until I'd shown him the entropy equation. He seemed to want to be my friend. What the hell was his ulterior motive?

I was about to stop gawking and keep walking when a big guy, almost as big as Steve, rammed his shoulder against Peter, almost throwing the nerd to the ground. But Peter caught himself quickly. He seemed to stiffen, clenching his fist for a second before continuing down the hall. I couldn't see his expression, as his back was turned to me.

Peter Parker didn't seem like a loser, not to me. He was too confident. So why did he act like one?

Maybe it was something I just didn't understand about older kids. I didn't care enough to spend anymore time on it. My head was starting to hurt. I walked through the (windowless) double doors and up the stairs. It was a trek; the classroom was almost completely opposite the side of the building as the cafeteria. I barely made it to class before the bell rang.

I wasn't the only person walking in with the bell; but luckily, Mr. Dennis seemed pretty laid back. He nodded to me, but didn't give me any other greeting. "We'll talk after class," he said. "Do you want to introduce yourself, have me introduce you, or have me put you into the seat in the back and pretend like you've been here the whole time?"

I just stared at him for a minute, trying to believe that a teacher could actually be this cool. He had shaggy brown hair and was wearing khakis, a graphic t-shirt depicting a stick figure chasing a T. Rex, and a blue sports coat on.

"The last one then. Welcome to World History, Ms. Stone."

I slid into my desk in the last row by the wall. It was the only empty one. I smiled a bit as Denniss took attendance. It seemed like I'd like this class, at least.

"Okay, ladies and gents. Anyone catch the press conference with Tony Stark and Jr. this weekend?"

That's it. This guy was dead.

The next fifteen minutes were torture. I had to keep my expression neutral as he showed the news clip of the press conference, we wrote what we thought about 'Holly Stark being an Avenger' on a notecard for two minutes, then they talked about it while I clenched my jaw and Nova cut into my palm again. Guess they started every class out discussing current events. Wasn't there anything else better to learn about than my personal life?

I spotted Avengers action figures on the filing cabinet behind his desk. Apparently not. Who did this guy think he was? Phil Coulson?

The fifteen and sixteen year olds sitting at their desks had their own opinions, of course.

"She's a kid. She can't make her own decisions to be in a fight. Like, the Avengers almost get killed on a daily basis!"

"I mean if I had access to a suit, I'd use it to fight bad guys too."

"You'd think that Tony Stark would have kept tabs on woman he slept with!"

Mr. Denniss shut down the discussion pretty fast after that. Good. If there were windows in this school, I would have been about to consider jumping out of them.

The rest of World History went off without a hitch, thankfully. It seemed that Denniss was a pretty good teacher when he wasn't fangirling over the Avengers.

Home Economics was the worst thing I'd experienced so far. The teacher was an old lady, boring and strict sounding. The assignment was to sew a pincushion, stupid and pointless. _No one_ sewed anymore, unless it was for fun. I was not having fun. Couldn't we cook instead? That _would_ be useful, and there were a bunch of kitchenettes scattered around the room, though the burners looked ancient.

As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, the reason why I hated the assignment so much was because I couldn't do it. I physically did not have the fine motor skills to thread the needle-it took me ten minutes- and when I finally got it threaded, I couldn't precisely put it in the spot on the fabric.

My hands weren't this shaky before Sokovia, the Red Room. I started to sweat a little, not wanting to consider that the brain injury _had_ changed me. I just hadn't noticed because I hadn't tried to build anything yet, just made plans.

It was going to be okay. My fine motor skills could just be out of practice; I hadn't had any other side effects, so why should this be one? And in the meantime, I could just have the bots do the precision work in the workshop for me.

I left home economics feeling jumpy. My headache had reached pounding limits. Thank God I didn't have to participate in gym.

I could see the open doors, smell the sweat, and was about thirty yards away from the gym when I felt someone grab my arm. "Hey!"

I didn't think, just reacted.

 _I could hear Madame B, smell the sweat from sparring, feel the pain of my injury. My arm twisted, breaking the grip, and I spun, simultaneously trying to kick out the legs of the girl in the Red Room._

"What the hell!" The girl I had just knocked down yelled. "I was just trying to tell you, you dropped your phone!" She thrust the StarkTech phone at me- it must have fallen out of my pocket, stupid girl jeans- and stormed into the gym.

"Wait!" I called, hurrying after her. "I_" it didn't matter. She threw open the locker room door and stalked in.

I flinched. I hadn't meant to hurt her. What the hell had happened? People had been bumping me, _shoving me_ , all day in the crowded hallways, and I hadn't freaked out. What was wrong with me?

Frustrated, head pounding, I felt my eyes began to burn. I wanted to go back to Stark Tower.

"Haleigh Stone?" The gym teacher walked up to me- he looked like the typical college football player that blew out his knee and had to retire. "You know the drill, because of your_" he tapped his head. "_you'll be going down to the library. Choose any health topic topic you want, write a one page paper on it, cite your sources, and bring it back here before dismissal. I'm sorry it's boring, but that's our policy for when students can't participate."

I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak.

"You don't have to wait for the bell to ring. You can just go now," he added.

I turned and walked out of the gym, still trying not to cry. I took out Nova's chip and started playing with it. By the time I found the library, I had calmed down. I wouldn't cry. I'd deal with the- flashback, whatever it was. It was fine.

I finished four papers- enough for the week, since yesterday we didn't have school- and finished the rest of my geometry before I had to go back to the gym to hand in my work. I had researched obesity in children, feeling like a PE teacher would care about that.

He let me leave to go to my locker after I handed it in, even though it was a minute early. I didn't see the girl that I'd kicked down again.

My backpack was seriously heavy, as it now contained not only a suit, but also my planner, English book, chem book, chem lab manual, and the other folders I had. At least we hadn't had World History homework. That book was massive.

Despite being dismissed a little early, I was still a little late meeting Natasha. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted me, smiling.

"Hi, Mom." I was so tired of this lie, and it was only the first day.

She caught my tone and didn't say anything else, just led me away from the school. I knew we had to keep up appearances. But as soon as we went around the block, she put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a side hug. "You look like you had a rough day," she said softly, lifting my backpack off my shoulders before I could stop her. She slung it on and grimaced. "Wow, no wonder why it was rough. You must have a ton of homework already."

I laughed nervously, not sure if Tony had told her about our little security measure. "Yeah, but it won't be hard." I thought about her half-question, half-statement. I wondered if I should tell her about my shaky hands or my weird flashback panic thing. "It wasn't completely awful. My head just really hurts," I said. Not entirely a lie.

A flash of worry struck her features before her face was calm again. It happened so fast, I wondered if I missed it. "I'm sure you're okay. We'll get Jane to check you out when you get home," she said.

On the subway, I thought about trying to make another attempt at the stupid grammar worksheet, but decided not to; I didn't want her to know how I struggled in English; I was supposed to be a genius. Instead, I leaned my head on her shoulder, held Nova's chip in my left hand, and closed my eyes against the throbbing headache, feeling safer than I had all day, even though I was on the crowded subway. At least the first day was over.


	30. Grounded

I had to smile, despite the throbbing headache, as Nat and I walked out of the elevator and into the safety of the living floors of Stark Tower. Tony and Pepper were waiting, sitting on the kitchen stools- Pepper must have stopped work early to be there.

"How was school?" Pepper asked, standing up and striding toward me.

Tony jumped up and beat her to me. Ruffling my hair, he jumped into the conversation with an irritated, "Do you ever check your phone, kiddo?"

"Sorry, Dad," I mumbled as I took my backpack from Natasha and fumbled around in the pouch for the tech. Pulling it out, I saw that I had eight unread text messages from Tony. "I had a lot going on today, and kind of forgot I had a phone." Weak explanation, but it was better than admitting I spent most of the day panicking, which is why I had forgotten about it. I choose to ignore Pepper's question as I tucked the phone into my pocket. "I'll keep it on vibrate when I'm at school from now on."

"Good," Tony said, his disgruntled expression fading away, and he took my backpack from me. "You have some homework? Meet me in the workshop before you start it," He said, grimacing as he felt the extra weight. I was sure he was going to want to check it every night, to make sure the suit was fully functional.

Before I could respond to him, Pepper asked "Are you okay, Holly?" I must look as bad as I feel. She brushed some hair out of my eyes and placed the back of her hand on my forehead. I leaned into the cool touch and closed my eyes, marveling at the relief and reassurance that just Pepper's hand brought. With my mom and stepfather, I could come home with a 104 degree fever and be projectile vomiting and they wouldn't say anything- unless it was to scream at me for messing up their house, of course.

"She's got a pretty bad headache- she needs to see Jane," Natasha answered for me, and that automatically excused me from any more questions about how my day at school went as Tony and Pepper shepherded me to the infirmary. At least for the time being.

After Jane assured Tony and Pepper that it was just a headache caused from stress, and it was unrelated to my head injury, she kicked Tony and Pepper out of the room so she could do the daily physical. I was sick of feeling like a lab rat, getting weighed and measured all the time. I hadn't grown at all since my weird growth spurt. But from a scientific standpoint, I knew that it was necessary.

When that was done, I tried to leave so I could rush through my homework and get to the lab, but Jane made me sit back on the cot and gave me two Tylenol and a glass of water. I swallowed the pills automatically, sipped the bottle of water she handed me and then capped it.

"Something on your mind?" Jane asked as she took off her latex gloves and threw them in the bin. "Was school okay?"

"It was fine," I shrugged, not wanting to give details of my hands or my flashback. Knowing that I should. I squirmed, making the paper in the table crinkle, and avoided her gaze by studying the jars of cotton balls on the counter. "I'm okay."

Her expression serious, she stopped cleaning up the room and stared into my eyes. "Holly, if it's medical related, I need to know. Is it your head? Is it worse than a headache?"

For the second time today, I felt my eyes begin to burn with tears, and I as usual, I started playing with Nova's chip, glancing down at my hands- my damaged hands.

If I could just get to the workshop, tell Nova about what happened. She could figure out what was wrong, and she wouldn't tell the rest of the Avengers. They had enough to worry about, with the backlash of Sokovia, besides me and my problems.

"Holly," Jane prompted again. She sounded more stern now. Too late for a lie- well, I wouldn't lie to her, or any of the Avengers, I would just omit the truth- she knew something was up.

"My hands are a little shakier now than they were before... everything. It's not a huge deal- it just makes home ec stupid because I can't sew. And I guess my handwriting is a little messier than normal." I ran my fingers around the edges of Nova's chip, hoping I didn't sound scared.

Her expression was calm. "We noticed that during your evaluation in the hospital. It's better now than it was- if we give it time, it'll go away completely, or be close to what it was before. Just exercises like typing, writing and sewing will help you out. If it stops progressing, we can look into occupational therapy for it. Don't stress out about it, okay? You're still young- your fine motor skills are still developing." She turned and started to organize papers- papers that had my entire medical history in it.

Medical history that I didn't know. I hadn't known until I'd tried to use my hands with precision that they were damaged. And my height- I hadn't realized I'd grown at an impossible rate until I'd discovered it for myself. What else were they keeping for me?

"You should go lay down for a little bit, you look beat. I'll see you at dinner." Jane smiled at me and handed me my jacket, which I had taken off when she was evaluating my headache.

I took my jacket, but shook my head. "No, I have homework, and Tony told me to meet him in the workshop first," I explained.

Jane's expression grew serious enough to make it feel as if ice were in my stomach. Before I could panic, she stated, "Holly, that wasn't a suggestion. Go lay down. For a half hour, minimum."

I merely nodded, the ice replaced by anger. Go ahead, tell me what to do. But she couldn't tell me the truth about my medical condition. Guess I would be putting my hacking skills to use tonight in the workshop.

I knew, underneath the anger, that logically that Jane was the doctor and I should listen to her. But Tony had already asked me to go see him, and he knew I had a headache. Maybe I'd just stop down there first.

Holly walked into Tony's portion of the workshop, looking only slightly better than earlier. But Tony didn't notice; he was too busy checking the features of the backpack, if the textbooks and supplies jammed into it impeded the suit's ability to deploy.

"Hey, Dad," Holly said as she hopped onto his workbench.

"Hey kiddo," Tony responded, zipping the pack up, finally satisfied that it was fully functional. He placed it on the bench next to Holly. "Just wanted to make sure that it was still good to go. I'm going to work on making it lighter for you; you throw in the stuff you need for school and it is way too heavy." He looked up and grinned at his kid, only to see her face disgruntled. "What?" he asked.

"I'm strong enough to carry it around," she said, sounding nettled.

Tony laughed. "No one said you weren't. But someone might wonder why your backpack is forty pounds."

She shrugged. "They shouldn't be touching my stuff."

Smirking, he gave her a fist bump. "That's my girl. So, get your homework done, and then get working on your designs- make 'em cool, I really want to see what you're working on."

Her face lit up, and for the first time today, she looked like herself. Tony wondered- was this the first time anyone had seemed excited about her work? For the millionth time since he discovered Holly existed, he cursed himself for being the reason she was raised by those monsters. He'd never had expected the sadistic qualities of Elizabeth, but Tony himself was proof of how much a person could change in so little time. And watching as Holly shouldered the pack and raced into her own workshop, he felt nothing but pride. He would never be able to look at his daughter in disgust- the way Howard had looked at him.

Being in my workshop space was comforting. Here, I was in control; I could build whatever I wanted, within reasonable limits, and I could exercise every bit of my brain in a way that I never had been able to before living with the Avengers. Heck, the decor itself was comforting; science. Computers, chemicals, lab tables, sinks, workbenches, tools, books. I had rearranged it so that I had a corner with a workbench, a computer, and a lab table with a sink. That way, when I was working, my back was to the wall, not the door. I was currently working at the computer; my textbooks were next to my backpack on the lab table, out of mind for now.

I put the finishing touches on the plans for my tricked-out glasses and went through the coding again to check for errors. Nova had been a huge help; I had raced through all of my other homework (besides the reading; I would do that before bed) but Nova had finished my grammar worksheet for me while she ran simulations for the usefulness of the glasses. It had only taken me about three hours, and I figured that I could hack into my med files later. Who cared, anyway? Here in my workshop, I was happy, my anger at Jane gone. Hacking into my file didn't seem as important as creating something that Tony would find cool.

Now, to show it to Tony. I pounded on the glass wall separating our two workshops. He looked up with an annoyed expression, but when I hesitantly pointed to my computer screen and gave him a thumbs up, he smiled and abandoned the circuit board he was working on. "Coming!" I saw him say- couldn't hear it, of course- and he walked around. I had the plans on the computer and a holographic display of what the completed project would look like when it was done up by the time he walked in.

We both sat down at my workbench as I launched into my explanation. He laughed as I sheepishly told him what I wanted my glasses to do.

"I won't tell Pepper if you don't," he said with a grin. "Oh, and make sure when you're watching Netflix in class, don't have a glazed expression on your face. Also, stay away from scary movies; jumping and screaming for apparently no reason might make you look a little crazy."

"Duly noted," I said, trying to keep a straight face as I typed a footnote at the bottom of the plans. Tony chuckled as I humored him. "Any suggestions for me?"

He looked through them again and frowned. "The glass you need to make the lenses from; the tech doesn't exactly exist yet- not to the extent that you need it at least. And how are you going to control the cursor- oh, wow! Contacts to control the cursor- genius. Just have Bruce check it out before you go sticking anything in your eye, okay? Have to make sure it's safe. I already see you're running sims with Nova- good move," he nodded approvingly. "But the tech for the lenses_"

"I know," I shrugged. "I'll get to that later. I just wanted to get the basic plans out; nothing is impossible, right?"

Tony stared as me, folded his arms, and leaned back in his chair. A half smile was on his face. "Nope." His expression fell as he focused on something behind my shoulder. "Nothing, except the two of us being on time for dinner. Crap." He nodded, and I saw Pepper coming out of the elevator doors, looking exasperated.

The two of us jumped up. I started shoving my homework textbooks back in my bag, and Tony blanked the display and dissipated the hologram.

Pepper stopped in the doorway of my workshop, trying and failing to look stern; you could tell that she was happy that we were spending time together. "Dinner is at the same time every night, you know. 7:00. So tell me, HOW is it that you two, with all your tech genius, can't set an alarm for 6:30 to clean up and get upstairs?"

Tony and I exchanged glances before Tony sheepishly said, "Sorry, Pep. We're coming now." He got up and I followed, cringing at the mess I was leaving in the workshop. Then again, Tony's workshop was always in a state of chaos. "How late are we?" he asked as we stepped onto the elevator.

"Well, since you're coming now, you'll be on time, it's 6:55." She smirked as the doors closed.

When we stepped out of the elevator, I saw out of the wall length windows that the sun had set. The New York Skyline was lit up in its usual breathtaking fashion, and inside the tower, the lights were bright and cozy. I briefly wondered if the rest of the world could see into Stark Tower, but decided that Tony most likely had it so people couldn't see in.

It wasn't until we got to the kitchen that I remembered how hungry I was, and that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. My stomach gave a huge growl as I smelled the garlic in the chicken parmesean that Bruce and Natasha (mostly Bruce) had prepared. The rest of the Avengers were already eating.

"Was that your stomach?" Pepper asked with a laugh as I waited behind Tony to use the sink so I could wash my hands.

I nodded, slightly embarrassed. "I forgot to pack a lunch this morning, so I'm pretty hungry right now."

Pepper's face froze. "Oh, my God, Holly I am so sorry. I completely forgot to." I looked at her, confused. Before I could respond, ask her what she meant, that she forgot to, Tony whipped around.

"You didn't eat lunch?" He demanded, his hands dripping on the tile floor. "How come? You have your credit card, right? And the cash? Did you forget your wallet? You could have texted one of us to bring you something. Or I bet you can electronically put money onto student accounts."

I shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was. "No, I remembered my wallet, but I thought the credit card was for emergencies. This wasn't. And I didn't text you because I didn't want to bug you guys with something as dumb as me forgetting to pack a lunch. It wasn't a big deal." I didn't understand why they were looking at me like I was a starving puppy.

Tony swallowed, exchanging a glance with Pepper, who nodded. "Okay. Holly? Next time, you text us," he told me seriously. "And it's not your job to pack yourself a lunch; Pepper's okay with doing it, and if she doesn't, I will. Heck, she wants to do it; that way she can make sure you put something other than Doritos and Oreos in it."

I didn't smile at his joke, and I still couldn't understand why they were acting like this; like it wasn't just a dumb mistake on my part. I didn't know why, but I began to feel a little bit angry. "I've gone way longer without eating, guys," I exclaimed. "Twelve hours is nothing! I'm fine!" I stepped around Tony and turned on the water to wash my hands, trying not to hear the whispered conversation between the two of them.

As I dried my hands off on the dishtowel, I was aware of the two of them still watching me. "You don't get it, do you?" Tony asked. I could tell he was frustrated, and I hunched my shoulders a little, trying not to look at either of their faces. Why was I getting yelled at?

"Holly," Pepper said soothingly as she grabbed my hand. I looked at her. She didn't look mad. Sneaking a peek at Tony, I saw that his expression was more disgruntled than angry. "Tony's not mad at you. I know it feels weird- to have people take care of you, instead of you trying to take care of yourself. This parenting thing is weird for us too. We're upset because we're supposed to be taking care of you, and we forgot to do something."

Tony sighed. "Yeah. We're mad at ourselves." He ruffled my hair. "But let's fix it now! You'd better have like four servings, or Bruce will get offended and Hulk out and break my Tower. Let's go eat."

I sort of understood now, and we walked over to the dining table, which was set with wine, milk, water, garlic bread, french bread, cheese, chicken parm, and spinach salad. I sort of hoped that I could skip out on the salad, but with Jane's laser vision, I doubted it. "But it isn't your guys' job, not really," I told them as we sat down in our places. "I'm independent enough to make myself a lunch."

"We're your parents. It's our job to take care of you. Deal with it, kiddo."

As I served myself everything but the salad and began to eat, I wondered when just Tony being my dad turned into both Pepper and Tony being my parents. Before I could decide how I felt about it, of course Maximoff asked the one question that I didn't want to answer.

"How was school?"

I refrained myself from throwing my roll at her. Although it wouldn't be the first time food was thrown during an Avengers mealtime, it would let everyone know how I really felt about it, and besides, Wanda was probably trying to be nice.

"Um," I muttered, twirling some of the spaghetti onto my fork, wondering what I should tell them. "It was okay. Kind of boring, because I know the curriculum. It's a pretty big school." Their eyes were on me as I chewed and swallowed. "Hey, Bruce, Nat, this tastes awesome!"

No one fell for my change of subject strategy. "Thanks, Holly. So, what's the most exciting thing that happened?" Bruce asked, sipping his wine.

I cast my mind around. I guess me knocking a girl to the ground because I thought she was attacking me would be it, but I was still too ashamed to talk about it. "Nothing. It's school," I said shortly. Realizing that I had sounded too grim, I gave a laugh and took a big drink of milk.

"Did you make any friends?" Pepper asked, cutting her chicken.

I choked a little as I swallowed too quickly. "Um, not really. My lab partner for chemistry is okay. He's actually not stupid, so maybe?"

Natasha smirked at me and I knew what she was going to ask. "Boyfriend material?"

"No," I said, coldly and with finality. I'd seen my mother and stepfather's toxic relationship. Whatever trait that allowed someone to trust, love, and expose themselves to another human being to that extent, I was convinced that I didn't have it. I just didn't understand why anyone would willingly set themselves up for that much pain. As an explanation, I told them, "I'm a twelve year old pretending to be a sophomore. He's a junior. And I'm probably too young to date, right, Tony?"

"Yeah, Romanoff," Tony huffed. "She's way too young to date. Wait like another decade, okay?"

Everyone laughed, and thankfully, they moved on to asking Wanda about what she'd done in New York that day.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, until the end when Jane asked me, "I take it your headache is better?"

Blood drained from my face. My head did feel better- but I had completely forgotten to lay down. Should I admit that I hadn't? Or just tell her yeah, my head felt better? "Yeah, it does," I told her. "Thanks," I added sincerely, hoping she wouldn't bringing it up.

She smiled back. "See? I told you laying down would help."

Man, the universe hated me.

Pepper turned toward me, and I knew immediately that I was busted. "You left the infirmary and went straight to the workshop," she said flatly. "You didn't leave until I came and got you and Tony."

"Holly," Jane sighed, disappointment etched onto her face.

"Busted," Clint muttered under his breath.

I was sort of surprised that Natasha didn't throw something at him, but she had a smirk on her face again. She knew when I was lying.

"I just meant to stop down there to see what Tony wanted," I said as I stared at my plate. "I just got excited- Tony asked me to show him some plans… I'm sorry, Jane. I swear I didn't mean to ignore you." I felt a shiver go down my spine. Sure, I knew that Tony, Pepper, Steve, and Natasha wouldn't hurt me, and I trusted Jane, but I had disobeyed her...

Tony shrugged. "Well, your head feels better, anyway, so what's the big de_ ow!" Pepper must have kicked him under the table. "What?" he asked Pepper, who fixed him with a glare. "Oh, right! I mean, Holly, that's not good, you should do what Jane tells you to; she's a doctor, she knows what she's talking about. Make sure that this doesn't happen again, alright?"

I stared at him, then at Pepper (who still glared at Tony), and then at Jane. "That's it?" I asked them.

"Well, Wanda was going to give you a mutation lesson after dinner," Pepper said slowly, her eyes still drilling a hole into Tony's skull.

"Oh! Right! Um, Holly- no mutation lesson today. So you remember to follow directions." Tony nodded, looking slightly proud of himself.

I was completely weirded out now. That didn't even make sense. I forgot to lie down, and went to the workshop instead, so I couldn't go train with Wanda? "Um, okay," I told them. "Wanda, can we have one tomorrow?"

"You have a therapy appointment tomorrow, after school," Pepper informed me. "Your new one, not Dr. Garner."

"Great," I muttered, making a face. No mutant training for two days, and I had to go talk about my feelings. An idea popped into my head. "Hey, how about I train with Wanda tonight, and then stay out of the workshop the rest of tonight and tomorrow? That makes more sense, since I went to the workshop instead of listening to Jane. Also, I'll go to bed early tonight."

Tony shrugged. "Sure, that makes sense."

I grinned at Wanda, who smiled back. Although I didn't enjoy her kicking my butt, I liked learning the new skills she showed me. "Awesome! I'm gonna go change. Do you guys want help cleaning up, or can I be excused?"

"You're fine, go ahead," Pepper told her. "But you're drinking your nutrition shake afterwards!" She called at Holly's receding back as she ran into the elevator.

When the elevator doors slid shut, Clint and Pepper both facepalmed, and the rest of the Avengers besides Tony burst out laughing. "What?" Tony asked, completely nonplussed.

"You just tried to ground your daughter, and she completely schooled you. Without even trying," Natasha informed him. "I mean, not that it's a big enough thing to worry about- you could tell she legitimately just got caught up in her project. Mostly, this just is letting her know that there is consequences. Although, she now probably thinks she can pick hers," Natasha finished with a laugh.

"Did you even read the parenting books I got you?" Clint asked, slamming down the rest of his wine.

"Yeah, I'm working on them," Tony muttered. "It's hard- she's not a bad kid, and every time she even thinks you're mad at her, she shuts down. I've gotten through about half."

This caused even more laughter; Tony hadn't realized that Clint meant it as a joke. "You're the worst at trying to discipline your kid, Tony," Clint muttered. "The worst."


	31. Therapy

The next day was both better and worse.

Better, because I had gotten a good night's sleep; training with Wanda before bed seemed to have the dual effect of both tiring out my body and my mind. So although it completely wiped me out, it helped me get a full night's sleep before waking up early to go running with Steve and spar afterwards with Nat.

It was better because Pepper had handed me a lunch on the way out the door, and besides a bunch of healthy food, it weirdly had a note from her and Tony attached to a Snickers bar, telling me to have a good day and that they loved me. Although it was strange, it made me feel good when I read it when sitting by myself in the lunchroom, and I carefully folded it and put it into my wallet, so it wouldn't get bent. I'd seen other kids in elementary school get one, knew it was a thing, but I'd never gotten one.

The day was worse, because I had forgotten to read for English and bombed the pop quiz, because I got yelled at for not having my 'parents' sign my planner (I had forgotten about that, too), because I had to take the stupid pincushion home to finish it for tomorrow since I sucked so bad at sewing, and because I'd accidentally pissed off Peter Parker.

In my defense, he'd been stupid first. The lab was simple; titration, heating solutions. I titrated the amount of the first chemical, and although my hand had trembled a bit at the end, it was fairly accurate. Nothing that would throw off a stupid high school lab. In my work at home, sure. But here, you had to _try_ to screw up one of these.

Well, Parker apparently felt differently. He handed me the pencil and told me mildly, "Here, you record observations, I'll titrate- my reflexes are better."

I didn't say anything, just took the pencil, but inside I was fuming. He was taking this way too seriously- being a quarter of a milliliter off wouldn't hurt anything. He didn't let me do anything else with the buret we were using to titrate. So when he walked away to go get more hydrochloric acid, I wanted to do something to prove I wasn't some clumsy moron. I went to light the Bunsen burner that we'd need to use next. I smiled as my shaky hands lit it first try, and then I quickly adjusted it so that the flame was blue with an inner blue cone, the right look for the temperature I figured we'd need for the solution.

I checked the lab procedure to make sure that was the proper heat. Doing labs in real life were a lot more fun than doing the online labs that I'd done for my Tempe high school diploma. Of course, I'd realize later, there were some safety things that I'd need to pay more attention too…

I watched as Parker finished pouring out the precise amount of acid we'd need into the graduated cylinder, even though we'd have to titrate it again later. I was thinking of a witty joke I could make about his neurotic lab skills when there was a loud 'pop!' from our buret.

Half of the girls in the class screamed as it shattered, glass shooting everywhere. I felt a spray of shards cut my face- I had on safety goggles, thankfully- but then I was on the ground, pinned beneath a heavy body…

Before I could panic, the person was off of me, hauling me to my feet. It was Parker. How had he gotten over here and _tackled_ me away from the acidic solution that had sprayed everywhere? Let alone think fast enough so that he tackled me where the glass wasn't shattered on the floor? At least I hadn't smacked my head on the linoleum. My heart raced. Why had the buret exploded? What had happened? Was Parker a Hydra agent or something, and had put something in the buret without me noticing? No, that didn't make sense- he wouldn't have tackled me. Although maybe that's what he'd want me to think…

"Stone! Parker! Are you okay?" Malik had rushed over with a fire extinguisher, but luckily the solution hadn't caused an explosion with the Bunsen burner; it was still lit.

"I'm fine," Peter said, his voice comically high, his shocked face contradicting his statement. "Completely fine. Holly, are you okay? You're bleeding!"

My head was racing, so I don't know exactly what I said. But Malik gave me a bandaid for the half-inch line cut on my head from one of the glass shards and told me to go wash the cut in the bathroom, then told Peter to clean up the mess. Then, in a stern tone, he told us to be more careful and pay attention to safety procedures next time, and that we would both receive a zero for the lab, unless we wrote an essay about why lab safety is important. But even then, we would receive only a 50% max if the essay was suitable. I just nodded, still in shock.

After he walked away, Parker turned to me, furious. "You created a hot spot! Why did you have the Bunsen burner so close to the buret?"

I didn't have anything to say in my defense, because now I knew my stupid mistake, and I was ashamed. Parker had discovered it before me. He didn't say anything else to me when I got back from cleaning my cut, and he didn't sit by me at lunch, either.

Steve was picking me up today, and naturally, he freaked out when he saw the small cut on my head.

"What happened? Did you hit your head again? Are_"

"I'm fine," I told me with a sigh. "I didn't hit my head, it's just a scrape. From my locker door. Barely bled," I lied. I had already decided that I wasn't going to tell them it was from chem lab; it was too embarrassing. Bruce, Tony, and Jane would never let me live it down if they knew the elementary mistake I'd made. "Let's get home so I can get my stupid appointment over with. I have a ton of homework." The last thing I felt like doing was talking to some shrink and then completing the chem essay, reading, grammar, geometry, and stupid sewing.

I was in the living room of the Stark Floor, sitting on the couch with my hands tucked under my legs so I wouldn't be tempted to play with Nova. I knew the fastest way to get done with therapy would be to convince this guy that I was fine, and for some reason, I didn't think he'd be impressed by me playing with an AI chip under stress. It didn't matter if I actually was or not; no one said anything, but I knew this would be a huge part of CPS's decision.

I wished that they would have let Tony and Pepper stay with me. Or any of the Avengers. I wish I wasn't alone on the Stark Floor with my therapist, a virtual stranger that I was supposed to spill my guts to.

My therapist, who had introduced himself as Mr. Etts, was sitting on the easy chair across from me, a coffee table in between us. On the coffee table, he had placed several knick knacks, all brain teasers; one that had sixteen pieces that was supposed to go into a 4x4 2D square; a magnet with x's and o's on it that you were supposed to stack as high as you could; and a variation of Rubik's cubes: 2x2, the classic 3x3, a 4x4, and a 5x5. The magnet one, the 2x2, and the 5x5 were not scrambled up; the rest were.

On his face, Dr. Etts had plastered what he probably thought was a friendly smile, but it didn't reach his cold black eyes, and that mixed with his brown hair being cut in a buzz cut made him look downright sinister.

"Feel free to play with any of the puzzles here," he told me. "I know you're a genius, so I thought you'd like this instead of what I'd usually have for a person your age."

Yeah, a genius that screwed up a basic chem lab today. I looked at the coffee table, wondering if I should take one, wondering what the purpose would be for, but then shrugged and grabbed the 3x3 cube.

"So what do you want to know?" I asked bluntly, messing with the cube, thinking of the algorithm I'd need to solve it. "Did my dad and Pepper already tell you about Tempe and Sokovia?" Before I had gone in, they'd assured me they trusted this therapist; he was with SHIELD for a long time, and he had helped Natasha after the Battle of New York. So not only was I allowed to tell him about Tempe, the Red Room, and being undercover at midtown, they _wanted_ me to. I could tell him the truth.

It should have made me feel safe. But the fact was, the truth of my life was so scary that the only thing that kept me going crazy was to _not_ talk about it. I wanted to look toward my future, not dwell on my past. _Why_ did I need therapy? I just wanted to forget what had happened; I knew that I was safe now. Who cared if I had nightmares sometimes.

Dr. Etts shrugged. "Your father and Ms. Potts gave me a brief overview of events of the last three months, and of what they know about your life and Tempe. I was hoping it'd be okay if I asked you some questions about that, and how school is going."

I shrugged. "Whether it's okay or not doesn't really matter, does it?" I stared at the framed picture of me and Tony that was on the wall. It was the one taken within my first few days here, is in the workshop. I couldn't believe how scrawny and nervous I looked, even though I was laughing. "You'd do it anyway."

"No, no, this isn't how it works," Dr. Etts said with a laugh. "You have a choice. We can talk about anything- it doesn't have to be related to what you went though. We don't have to talk at all, if you want."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes, looking down at the cube instead. Yeah, not talking would get me done with these sessions in about ten years.

"I'm okay with answering questions about it," I said, trying to sound casual as I solved the 3x3 and picked up the 4x4.

While he jotted notes down on a yellow legal pad, I was quizzed up about my nightmares, which I didn't bother lying about- Pepper and Tony obviously told him. It was uncomfortable, but I was honest. The only thing I omitted was the metal-arm man, instead making it sound like I just remembered being tortured by Ajax.

When he asked about school, I pretended like I was having a good time, latching on to people who's names I heard in my classes, pretending like I'd talked to them or worked with them in classes, inventing a funny story. I doubted he'd actually check with the school if it was true, or if the teachers would even notice if I was or wasn't doing these things.

The last thing he asked was about any anxiety.

"No, I don't feel anxious a lot," I shrugged. "I mean sure, I'm scared. But I feel safe- the Avengers wouldn't hurt me, they wouldn't let anything happen to me. I don't have to worry about it anymore. And I know that if I have to, if I get kidnapped or whatever again, I've got the abilities to handle it. It'd be crazy not to be scared, right? But it's not being scared to the point where it interferes with everyday activities. So that's not bad, right?"

I knew from his facial expression that I'd answered his question right, even if most of it was a lie.

"It is okay to be scared sometimes," Dr. Etts agreed. He started to pack his games up; I'd solved the messed up puzzles over the course of our appointment, and I'd left them solved; after I solved all of the scrambled ones, I went back to sitting on my hands. I didn't bother playing with the ones that weren't scrambled. "Being scared means you still have something to lose."

I thought that was stupid, thinking about my time in Tempe- I'd had nothing to lose then, and I was still terrified out of my wits.

No, I realized. I still could have lost my future. It was in the Red Room when I finally wasn't scared, when I was ready to give up and die, when I begged Deadpool to kill me.

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the hopelessness of the situation. If Tony, Clint, and Nat would have been any later…

"What is it, Holly?" Asked Dr. Etts, hesitating.

Before I could filter my response, I muttered, "I wasn't scared the last few hours in the Red Room. I didn't have anything to lose. I wanted to die." Disgust flooded my tone as my mind reeled, going back through what I thought would be the last few hours living as a free person. "I gave up."

The appointment had lasted for nearly 3 hours. It was almost dinnertime when Holly walked into the common area of Stark tower, looking exhausted, carrying her backpack. She half-smiled at Tony and Pepper, who were looking up recipes on a tablet. Steve and Natasha were lounging on the sofas; Steve reading, Natasha on a laptop.

Tony was about to ask how it went when he saw that Dr. Etts was behind her. "Can I speak with you two?" He asked Tony and Pepper in an undertone before Tony could say anything. "Somewhere private?" He added.

Holly slammed her homework down on the dining room table and sat down, still not saying anything.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, of course" he said, trying not to sound worried.

Pepper jumped in. "Let's go to my office."

"I'll make dinner," Natasha asked. "You owe me one, Stark," she added mockingly.

"Pepper wont let me order Chinese takeout," Tony griped. "See Pep? We wouldn't have to leave Nat to do all the work if_"

"We'll get you and Bruce next time it's your turn," Pepper cut him off. "Thanks, Natasha- I appreciate it."

"I'll help," Steve added, closing his book and walking to the kitchen.

Tony and Pepper followed Dr. Etts onto the elevator, throwing worried looks at Holly, who still hadn't said anything, but had opened her geometry book and had started looked like she was thinking hard about something, but Natasha knew it likely wasn't tenth-grade geometry.

Steve cleared his threat after they left. "Want to help us, Holly?" He asked. "You don't have to," he added quickly after she had immediately stood up. "If you have homework, that's fine."

She hesitated. "Yeah, I have homework. But I'll help you if you guys want! I mean_"

"Calm down," Natasha said quickly, knowing she wasn't used to having choices to do stuff. "If you have to do homework, then do it. But," she added, getting an idea, "You could help us by picking what we're going to make tonight. Your choice, whatever you want or you can Google something." She gestured to the tablet.

Holly slowly walked over to Steve and Natasha, looking confused. "But that doesn't make sense- if I pick it, doesn't that mean I should make it?"

"No, you're helping us out," Steve said. "Anything sound particularly good to you?"

Holly shook her head and stared down at the tablet. "Not really, I guess. I mean, I'm hungry… it's fine, I can wait for dinner. What sounds good, I… I don't know." She bit her lip and looked up at Natasha and Steve, eyes dull. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Steve said reassuringly.

Natasha shook her head. "We're gonna give you some choices, and you have to pick one. That way if someone complains, we can blame it on you."

"Nat!" Steve protested.

Natasha ploughed on- Steve might want to treat Holly with kid gloves, but Natasha knew that wasn't what she needed right now. "Choice one- baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans. Choice two- meatloaf, same sides. Choice three- salmon, rice, salad. So what's it gonna be?" Nat asked, ticking the meals off on her fingers.

"Um, one, I guess. I've never had meatloaf or salmon before," Holly said cautiously, like she was worried there was a wrong answer.

"Sounds good," Natasha said easily, dropping all pretense of acting tough. "What do you have for homework?"

Steve preheated the oven and handed Holly an apple from the bowl on the counter. "Eat it- it'll hold you over until dinner."

Wanda walked out of the elevator- she had just showered after a training session. Vision was with her. "Hey, everyone."

Holly, who had sat back down at the table, sighed. "I have to read forty pages of the stupid English book, a grammar worksheet, do a ton of geometry problems, finish something for home ec, and define vocab words from a chapter in my world history textbook. Oh, and write an essay for Chem."

Natasha grimaced as she started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. "Yuck."

Wanda sat across from Holly. "Yeah, I don't miss school," she said. "Sokovian schools didn't give as much work as work as this, but I wasn't a genius," she said with a smile.

Natasha noted that Holly didn't return it, just shrugged, and she made a mental note to ask Holly about how she liked Wanda later.

"How about you read your book out loud to us while we're cooking?" Steve suggested as he started to peel potatoes.

A look of utter panic crossed her face before she smoothed it out. "No offense, but it'd be a lot faster if I just did it myself," she said quickly.

Natasha barely hid a smile, looking down at the chicken she was seasoning. It was obvious-for whatever reason, Holly was nervous to read aloud to them.

"How about I read it out loud while you do your other homework?" Wanda suggested, picking up the book. "Would you be able to remember it, if you were doing something else?"

Holly nodded. "That… would actually be really helpful. Thanks, Wanda."

"You're welcome," she replied, turning _Life of Pi_ to the first page and starting reading. "My suffering left me sad and gloomy," she began. "Wow, this novel is cheerful…"

"Is she okay? Did something happen?" Tony demanded as soon as soon as they were all settled in the armchairs around a coffee table in Pepper's office.

"Nothing happened necessarily, but there is something you need to be aware of," Dr. Etts replied, looking apprehensive. Tony knew that didn't mean anything good; the guy looked worried that whatever he said would make Tony go full Iron Man on him. "Holly mentioned to me that the final hours in the Red Room, when she thought that you were dead and they were going to use her body as a weapon, that she was ready to die_"

"Bruce mentioned that," Tony interjected before Pepper could shush him. "That her actions right after Sokovia showed a lack of regards for consequences, or potentially suicidal tendencies."

"Mr. Banner is likely correct," Dr. Etts agreed, and Tony's heart plummeted, although he had known it, in his heart. "I need to talk to her more before I come to any conclusions. But in the meantime, check for evidence of any sort of self harm. And give her boundaries- kids in general need structure, and kids like Holly need it more than most. Maybe limiting workshop time and having family time instead, or having a set time for her to go to bed. Just so that way, she knows that there are rules- and that if she breaks them, no one will hurt her, but there will be some consequence."

"Okay, we can do that," Pepper said before Tony could tell him there was no way he'd limit the amount of time she could spend in the workshop. Genius wasn't limited to an hour a day!

"The other thing I'd like you to try is to give her relaxation techniques before she goes to bed, and make sure it's at the same time every night. This book-" he pulled it out of his briefcase- "Goes over some. Start reading from the book right before she falls asleep; the exercises take about ten to fifteen minutes. She can pick what the routine is, give her a choice. But just to warn you- even though she's way more compliant than any twelve year old I've ever worked with, she isn't going to like this. She told me, when I was asking her about nightmares, that no one's ever told her when to go to bed."

"Yeah, we haven't either," Tony said, scratching his head. "I mean, she's had the nightmares, and she's usually tired from training, so she'll usually go to bed fairly early, anyway," He added defensively. "You really think a routine and a book of relaxation techniques will help?

Pepper nudged him. "It's worth a try, if it'll help Holly. I can read them to her."

Tony shrugged. He hated therapists, never liked them; he knew how his mind worked. No one else did. He scoffed at the idea that his daughter would open up to a complete stranger and not to him or one of the Avengers; it was ridiculous. Even before CPS had butted in, Pepper was the one that had absolutely insisted, for Holly's mental health purposes; Fury was the one that insisted for Holly's future career aspirations; and Tony, trying not to be like his old man, agreed to try it.

Pepper got up and walked Dr. Etts to the door; Tony resolutely stayed in the seat, barely acknowledging the exit of the psychologist.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Pepper turned back to Tony, but Tony didn't care that flames were practically shooting out of her ears. "You do know that his findings are going to be a huge part of the court's decision if you get to be Holly's legal guardian, right?" she snarled. "You could at least pretend like you care!"

Tony crossed his arms and set his jaw. "Come on, that's not fair," he snapped. "You know that Holly staying me- with _us_ \- is the most important thing I've ever worked for. But Pepper, we need to be doing what's best for Holly! And she'd be fine, without this guy. She understands that she'll never be back in the Tempe situation_"

"Does she, though?" Pepper interjected, hands on her hips. "Does she actually? Because last night- you could see it in her face- she legitimately thought that Jane was going to physically hurt her. She was confused- you heard her, she asked if that was it."

Tony stood up and gestured wildly in the direction of the kitchen, floors above."She's fine! She didn't think Jane was going to hit her- she was just making sure that-"

Pepper grabbed his arm. "Stop. You want Holly to be happy. Do you honestly believe that she is fully and completely happy right now?"

Tony didn't hesitate. "Well, yeah! She's not getting beaten the shit out of and she's got people who actually care about her! She's fine, Pep, she's got everything she needs- yeah, she's got nightmares and she's got some problems, but she's safe!"

Pepper, who had been squeezing her fingers to her temples while Tony was talking, suddenly thrust her hands out and shouted, "Yeah, Tony, she's physically safe. She's not going to get hurt- but she dreams about being tortured every night! Do you think that sounds like a picture of mental health? Is your ego really that big that you're not even willing to _try_ the therapist's suggestions?"

Tony stood there, knowing that Pepper (as usual) was right, and not wanting to admit it. Finally, he sighed. "It's worth a try. Let's go see how she's doing."

When Tony and Pepper finally came back from meeting with Dr. Etts, Wanda had gotten almost all the way through the reading that I had been assigned. The book wasn't that good in my opinion. But Natasha and Steve listened rapidly to Wanda reading, and when they had the food cooking, Steve and Natasha even took a turn reading aloud, and Wanda paid careful attention to them. while I finished my other homework. When they walked in, I expected them to tell me immediately what Dr. Etts had said; but when Wanda paused, Pepper waved for them to continue. By the time Wanda had read the last line, I was finished with everything but the stupid grammar and home ec assignments and thoroughly disgusted by the novel.

The last thing that happened in the assigned chapter was the main character's parent, who owned a zoo, make the main character watch a goat get eaten by a tiger. Right in front of him. That wasn't responsible parenting; that was just cruel. If the kid was stupid enough to walk into a tiger's cage, then I was calling natural selection. What was worse than the description was the main character's jerk of an older brother; apparently, his brother would tell him 'you're the next goat' over the years.

Putting it bluntly, the book sucked. I didn't know why all of the adults looked so entertained.

At 9:30, after I had helped Bruce wash the dishes, mutation trained, and had finished my grammar (again, with Nova's help), There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I yelled, distracted by one of the Fury books, chewing over the anatomy of the brain, wondering why the hell sleeping was biologically important. Nova's chip was on my bedside table, her matrix glowing green.

Pepper and Tony walked in, and I moved from my sprawled position on my belly to sitting up on the bedspread with my legs criss-crossed. I closed the book and looked expectantly at them, figuring that they'd tell me what Dr. Etts had said. Pepper was holding a book, but I couldn't see the title.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony said with a grin. "Mind if we come in and talk for awhile?"

I felt like rolling my eyes at his casual expression, but didn't. "Of course."

Pepper sat next to me; Tony wheeled my desk chair over and sat in that. I think Pepper's purposely keeping the title of the book covered. "What'd you think of Dr. Etts?" Pepper asked me.

I shrugged, not wanting to admit that I thought it was lame and not very useful. Wondering if Dr. Etts told them I'd begged Deadpool to kill me.

"I know that it's confusing right now," Pepper said. "But you Starks, you like science- and psychology is a science."

Tony snorted, causing Pepper to glare at him, and I knew we had the same thoughts about _that_. Then I worried- did he think I was weak because I was seeing one? I mean, it's not like I had a choice.

"He'll help you with your nightmares, Holly," Pepper said gently. "That'll be good if you don't have them anymore, right?"

"I didn't have any last night," I argued. "Mutation training with Wanda helps, so…" I didn't finish my sentence- I didn't want Pepper to get mad at me, even if Tony probably would agree with me.

"What if Wanda goes on a mission, and she's not here? You just don't sleep that night, right?" Pepper asked, a little snarky. I had forgotten- this was the woman that dealt with Tony even before he was Iron Man, and then a dad. She was not someone that I could outsass. "Dr. Etts suggested that you go to bed at the same time every night and before you go to bed we practice some relaxation exercises with you."

I almost rolled my eyes. Almost. Relaxation exercises probably didn't help Tony when he dreamed about the Battle of New York, they probably didn't help Steve when he dreamt about Bucky Barnes falling to his death, and they definitely weren't going to help me in the middle of the night when the metal armed man came and tortured me in my dreams. "Okay."

They waited patiently while I changed into my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. Then while trying not to look at Tony's skeptical expression as I followed Pepper's instructions to tense and relax different parts of my body. I felt even more tense while doing it, knowing that this was stupid and supposed to help my nightmares, and it took me a long time to fall asleep after Tony and Pepper told me goodnight and kissed my forehead.

That night, before the metal-armed man started torturing me, he leered, "You're the next goat!"


	32. Deadpool Returns

Therapy didn't seem to be helping her. It was a mark of how much Tony had changed since he'd met Holly that he didn't gloat; instead, he worried. This wasn't something that he could fix for his daughter.

Dr. Etts decided to see Holly twice a week, on Monday and Thursday afternoons. Holly never openly said anything negative about therapy, but her temper was shorter on those days, and she always had nightmares on those nights, although she never admitted to having any nightmares unless blatantly asked. Of course, it was a giveaway when Holly was already in the gym ready to go when Steve got there, or if Friday told Tony that she'd been in the workshop overnight on the rare occasion that Tony wasn't. Pepper and Tony were having a tough time deciding if they wanted to ban Holly from leaving the Stark floor when she had a nightmare. Despite the lack of sleep, she seemed cheerful, and Tony was strongly against taking away coping strategies if they weren't detrimental to her. It was obvious that she thought that therapy and the relaxation techniques were a waste of time, although she seemed willing to try.

Besides, none of the Avengers were whole. It would be hypocritical to put so much pressure on Holly to be mentally healthy when the rest of the Avengers had their own demons to fight. They didn't always sleep through the night either.

Tony and Pepper met with Etts after each session; he didn't have any new progress to report. He informed them Holly was lying about liking school, which worried them, but as Bruce pointed out, she was probably bored out her mind in high school, and even if she was good at interacting with the other students, she couldn't really form close relationships with them because she'd have to lie about who she was. Tony was beginning to worry that having her in school was a waste of her time; she wasn't making friends, which was the point. Oh, sure she talked about people- mostly Peter Parker, who she had chemistry with, and a girl named Ellie, who she usually partnered with in English. But it was all academic; what assignment they worked on. No inside jokes, or stories- just what they did that day in class.

Besides not making friends, Holly also wasn't learning anything new. She certainly didn't spend a lot of time on her homework, as she finished most of it in school and on the commute home.

The only thing she routinely saved was her reading book for English; the Avengers liked the story, although Holly didn't. They all read it aloud together after dinner every night, sprawled on the couches in the living room. It puzzled Tony at first, knowing that Holly could read it much faster by herself; but when Tony mentioned it to them after Holly had went to bed after the second night reading _Life of Pi_ , Pepper brought up the obvious; she probably hadn't had anyone read to her before. After that, _everyone_ wanted to take a turn reading, and Holly just sat, listened, and filled out the accompanying worksheet. The only person that really liked the book was Bruce; the rest just liked doing something together, and for Holly. Pepper half-heartedly mentioned that maybe Holly should take a turn; after all, it was her homework. But the Avengers argued that it was funny to see her expressions as she comprehended the story. It definitely wasn't because they probably had the same vision in their head that Tony did; a three or four year old version of Holly trying to take care of herself. Nope. Definitely not.

Although trying to get her socialization skills on par was so far a bust, her training with Natasha, Steve, and Wanda was going well. Most notably, her hand to hand combat was progressing at an alarming rate; Natasha was beginning to teach her how to incorporate firearms and gymnastics moves into the training. Pepper hated the firearms aspect, but the guns were filled with blanks, so she couldn't argue that much. Although, Tony would have to admit he'd be the first to put his foot down if Natasha started putting real bullets- or BB's- or anything harder than a Nerf dart- into the weapons.

The weekends were the best; Sam and Rhodey came over on Saturdays and they all watched college football. Holly was wary of Sam, not really knowing him that well, but immediately picked up on the banter between Tony and Rhodey and joined in. It was funny how much Holly either consciously or unconsciously imitated Tony; besides immediately taking to Rhodey, after seeing his University of Southern Cal football jersey, Holly immediately became their biggest fan and joined him in picking on Bird-Brain's Iowa Hawkeyes.

On Sundays, after Rogers went to church, they all went to Central Park. It was great to see Holly acting like a normal kid; they were all disguised, of course, as they had to be. But to see Holly climb a tree, footrace Nat and Wanda, or play Ultimate Frisbee with a plastic Captain America themed disc, Tony had a hard time believing she wasn't happy, despite what she'd been through to get to this point.

And when he found himself grinning from ear to ear, sitting on the soft grass of Central Park, holding Pepper's hand while the two of them together watched Holly be a kid, he couldn't help but know he'd never been happier either.

Life was good- better than it had been for me since, well, ever.

High school was bearable, thanks to Peter Parker. He'd apologized the next morning, before I could apologize for blowing up our experiment. His uncle had died six weeks ago, and he wasn't sure how he was going to pay for college without a scholarship. Which meant, of course, he needed top grades, which is why he was so uptight about school.

I'd prepared myself to never talk to Peter again after he'd yelled at me the day before, but after he explained to me why he was so neurotic about it, I changed my mind. Because I _understood_. I had obsessed over my homework the same way when I had thought that college was my way out, although it was obvious that Peter loved his aunt that he lived with. But of course I couldn't tell him that I understood; I couldn't tell him who I was. I almost wished I could; as I got to know Peter better, I realized that the nerd was someone that I'd want to be friends with. I guess we sort of were- we joked around, nerdy science jokes mostly, but we also poked fun at each other, almost like real friends. Mostly me making fun over him shooting one of the popular girls doe-eyes all the time, and him making fun of me being so terrible at the dang grammar homework I did (and complained about) during lunch. Then he'd offer help, but I never accepted. Of course, we couldn't be real friends. You told real friends your name, at the least. I almost wished I'd never met him, because it was pointless to want something I couldn't have. He'd never know that I was Holly Stark.

I would have distanced myself from him when I realized I actually wanted him to know the real me earlier today, so I didn't risk letting something slip and blow my cover. But as much as I hated to admit it, I didn't want to. Peter, and to an extent Ellie from my English class, were the only two that actually talked to me. And with Ellie, it was usually just her making snide comments about our classmates. Funny, but not someone that I'd want to reveal my identity to. Without those guys, I knew I'd be incredibly lonely.

And I couldn't very well distance myself from him after I'd promised to help him earlier today.

It's the end of my second week of school at Midtown, and during lunch Peter had asked me to be his partner for the city science fair that was coming up in November. The winner got a college scholarship. I'd choked on my food and said yes before I'd thought it through, because I knew that I'd be able to win it for him. Weirdly, I wanted him to get that scholarship, to go to college, have a future. He was intelligent, but besides that, he was uncommonly kind. Right after I'd said yes, the kid's first response was that if we won, we could _split_ the scholarship. Parker was a total cinammon roll.

I'd thanked him for the offer, but declined by making up a half-lie; that I had a rich grandfather that passed on and left me money for college. We exchanged phone numbers, and he told me to text him if I had an idea over the weekend, otherwise we'd talk about it during class Monday. He was grinning, excited about working together, but I sense it wasn't just because I'd help him win; I'd gathered that he didn't have many friends, either.

When I got to class after lunch, I almost panicked, wondering how to go back on my commitment without losing the sort-of friend I'd made. I couldn't enter a high school science fair. Probably not even legally, since I already had graduated. And then I'd have to go tell the Avengers, and they'd yell at me and tell me to tell Peter that I couldn't do it. It was a security risk and it would get in the way of therapy and training. For the first time since I'd started at Midtown, I could wait for the day to end.

So, besides chemistry class, listening to Ellie's snide remarks, and hanging out with Peter during lunch, school was completely lame. I forged Natasha's signature on my planner every morning before school, and as a result, most of the time if I had homework, I either didn't take it home or took just enough to make it so no one got suspicious; they weren't checking to make sure I had it done.

The exception was _Life of Pi_ , which I always took home, because for whatever reason, the Avengers really liked the book. We read it together every night after dinner, and they always got excited about who's turn it was to read. Luckily, they never insisted I read to them; I knew I would sound like an idiot. So I just got to fill out the chapter worksheets and listen to them. I loved spending time with them, even if the book was terrible. I was hoping that either I'd get assigned an English book that was actually good after this one, or we could still do it even without an assigned English book. Listening to their smooth voices reading made me feel completely at ease, like everything was alright, even if I had been woken up by a nightmare or if school was horrible.

Steve did have to yell at Tony so he wouldn't watch the movie adaption of the book ahead of time, though.

My grades were… well, average. For the most part. Gym and Geometry were my highest grades, with World History being a close second (I got points taken off for spelling and grammar on the essay question that was part of our chapter test). Chemistry would have been top if it weren't for the failed experiment, and Home Economics and English were God-awful. Home ec because after two weeks with no improvement of my hands being shaky, I quit trying. It wasn't like I was going to use sewing in my real life, anyway, and if I needed to, I'd figure it out when it came to it. English sucked because in all honesty, besides the standardized testing showing I was proficient, I shouldn't have been thrown through the coursework in Tempe. It killed me to admit that, but I had always known it deep down. I was good, better than most people three years older than me; I wasn't good enough. Not like science, where I could school most professors if I put my mind to it.

At first it bothered me; then I realized that I didn't _need_ to do well in English. I didn't really need to do well in any of my classes, really; I had graduated high school officially already, and nothing could change that. Besides, I justified, it probably would help me blend in better, not having top grades. Anyway, I didn't want to spend all my time at home working out, training, and doing homework; I wanted to hang out with the Avengers and build stuff in my workshop!

And my inventions were going incredibly well. My glasses were nearly complete, after only two weeks, and were now in the testing phases. If I worked hard enough, I could probably have them ready by Monday. I couldn't wait to have them during class so I could research and learn something useful instead of just sit there in a stupor.

It felt so good to be able to actually build stuff I made plans for. I had some mediocre plans at the house in Tempe, ones that I had sketched years ago before I'd decided I wanted nothing in common with Tony. I couldn't exactly remember what was on them- too much fear and suffering had happened between me drawing them out and leaving Tempe- but I wondered if they'd be useful.

I was getting faster and stronger with Steve's training, more fluid in energy manipulation with Wanda's training, and better at hand to hand combat with Natasha's, but I didn't feel like it was good enough. They were still so much better than me, and probably would be even if I trained all day every day for a decade. It made me mad; no, it made me furious. It made me an easy target to anyone that wanted to hurt me or anyone I cared about. I used the fury to push me, to drive me to do things in all three areas of my training that I didn't even think was possible. _This_ drive made me think through the fear, not the stupid games I played in therapy.

Therapy was ridiculous. Dr. Etts completely believed everything I was saying, even if I was stretching the truth- I wondered if he was telling Tony and Pepper that I was getting better, and I hoped that I was fooling CPS. Ultimately, I knew that was the goal here; they needed me to get better so that CPS would get off our backs. Tricking my therapist into clearing me would accomplish that.

Of course, when it came to my bad dreams, I couldn't fool Tony and Pepper, or any of the Avengers for that matter. Not when it was the middle of the night and I'd run into them in the gym, or Tony saw me through the glass wall in between our workshops. Sometimes they talked to me; other times they just nodded. Nightmares still plagued me most nights, but now they were less realistic. Although most were memories, sometimes I'd get weird ones. The weird ones were intertwined with my actual life, now that I was so busy. _Life of Pi_ would make me dream that I was stuck on a lifeboat with Francis, Madame B, my stepfather, or the metal-armed man; a chem experiment would get ruined by me losing control over my mutant powers with Nova; someone at school would discover and reveal that I was in fact Holly Stark, and Hydra would grab me…

Even though the weird ones weren't my memories, somehow they still seemed real enough to terrify me senseless. The relaxation exercises didn't seem to help at all. But although I thought they were pointless, I couldn't hate doing them.

I liked that I got to eat dinner with at least Tony and Pepper every night. I liked that we all got together and read a book in the evenings. And even though it made me feel like a little kid, I liked that Tony and Pepper spent time with me right before I went to bed, even if it was the lame relaxation exercises. I liked that other people _cared_ enough about me to take care of me, and I began to feel safe.

I should have known how quickly that could change.

Friday afternoon had finally come, and although I was stressed out about promising to do the science fair with Peter earlier, I couldn't help but smile. Last weekend, everyone had gone to Central Park and we had played ultimate frisbee. We couldn't all go this weekend, because Thor and Jane had left for Asgard again and Clint was with his family again, but I hoped that the remaining Avengers could do something fun outside the tower together. I wasn't sure when they were starting Avengers training, or if they would leave and go somewhere else to train. I didn't want to ask.

I was relaxed as I walked down the arts section of the school on my way to the side door I usually used to exit and meet Natasha, which was my first mistake. I should have been alert, like I had been taught by Natasha, like I had been taught by my experiences. There was another route I could take that'd be a minute faster, but I liked walking down this hallway because the artwork that decorated the usually dull windowless walls was astounding. I couldn't draw or paint to save my life, but I liked looking at them. My favorite was one of a person that was half-bone, half muscle. No skin or facial features; you couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, a child or an adult, a mutant or a human or an inhuman. Just the person stripped down to the bare essentials. Well, of course the brain and organs were essential…

So yeah, I wasn't paying as much attention to my surroundings as I should have been. I'd gotten too comfortable walking through these hallways. And I was stupidly _alone_ in the empty corridor, just focused on the artwork...

I didn't noticed the door that was ajar instead of locked and closed- not until I was suddenly yanked into the room.

A huge gloved hand covered my mouth and nose, preventing me not only from making a sound, but also breathing...

My mind was blind with panic, and I froze. I couldn't see anything; the attacker had shut the door as he yanked me in, and the lights were off. I didn't know my surroundings; I had never been in any of the art rooms before. And the only thing I could think about was how pissed Natasha would be at me if she knew I was getting kidnapped again and I froze up.

It was what she'd been trying to teach me; I had to think through the fear.

And with my own natural adrenaline making me brave, I did.

Five seconds after he'd first grabbed me, like a reflex, I bit the hand that covered my mouth and drove my elbow back into my attacker's gut. It didn't do much, but because of my bulky backpack, they didn't have a good grip on me, and as soon as I'd loosened their grip, I immediately tried to drive my heel into their groin.

I was too short; my heel didn't reach. It was pointless now, anyway. He had me in a double chicken wing, but the joke was on him; Natasha had taught me how to counter this just this morning, and automatically I tried to flip him, the way we'd practiced dozens of times less than twelve hours ago; but they were so much heavier than Natasha, and with my backpack, it threw me off balance. Instead of me flipping my attacker over, they made me flip with them, so now they were on their back, on the floor, but I was on my back, pressed against their chest.

This was confusing; I got the sense that my attacker wasn't trying to hurt me; they were trying to contain me. Why wouldn't they just knock me out?

"Geeze, I saved your life, Princess, and this is how you repay me? No chimichangas or anything?" My attacker asked sarcastically. Except he wasn't just my attacker anymore; I knew him from his sarcasm.

"What the hell, Deadpool!" I gasped, half in shock, half because I was completely out of breath. Now that it was over, I realized how tired I was, how much I was shaking with the fear. We'd fought for maybe thirty seconds; how come I never got this tired when training with Natasha?

But I knew; it was because she was babying me.

"Sorry about that, Princess, but I had to make sure that you weren't going to shoot me," he snapped back. "Not that it'd kill me, but it'd leave the janitor a hell of a mess to clean up, and that's rude." He released me, and I got up, took Nova's chip out of my pocket, and flipped her matrix on for the light. We were in the darkroom; pictures were strung up along the walls and dangling from the ceiling, and there were developing stations sporadically placed around us. We were lucky we didn't break or damage anything.

"Don't call me Princess," I grumbled, knowing that since it irritated me, the sarcastic jerk definitely would. Now that I wasn't under attack, I could think better. I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten my freaking suit or the voice activation that Tony had programmed into my phone that'd have Nova call for help. Good lord, I would have been out of my situation easily if I had used my brain. I thought about calling my suit or activating it now, but I hesitated.

It was the fact that I could die, but from what Tony had told me, Deadpool couldn't. I didn't even know if I could incapacitate him; how fast did his cells regenerate? Unless if he showed an inclination to hurt me, I shouldn't threaten him.

So I just shook my head, looking into the blank white eyes of the mask of Deadpool, trying to calm myself down.

The fear was practically crushing me at this point; what did he want? I decided to play it tough. "You son of a bitch," I growled while he scrutinized Nova's matrix. "I almost just had a heart attack!"

He dismissed my statement with a wave. "Please, you're like, five, you don't have to worry about that until you're at least sixteen. Besides, we got bigger problems. You remember Francis?"

"You mean Ajax?" I asked, shivers shooting down my spine. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the blank white eyes of his mask. "What about him?"

"Francis," he corrected, flicking my head. I resisted the urge to punch him, my annoyance temporarily breaking through my terror. "That lucky little shit biscuit ended up escaping Russia, and I have no clue where he is now." he shrugged.

I felt like someone had crushed my chest. "No," I whispered, staggering backwards until I hit the door. I was trying to stay tough in front of Deadpool, but that was now impossible. I had thought that Francis was dead, and now I find out the guy responsible for the copious amounts of torture I'd endured was still alive? I wasn't going to be able to sleep ever again.

"Look, don't wet your pants. I don't have time for babysitting. The two of us are the only free and alive survivors that I know about from his workshops. I spent a really long time tracking you down- oh, damn, fine, Negasonic Teenage Warhead told me you were here- but I figured you deserved a shot at him."

"You want me to kill him?" My voice cracked, going from low to high pitched. My mouth was dry. I couldn't even process what else this nut was saying- Negasonic Teenage Warhead?

"Keep your voice down! It wasn't easy to sneak into this high school and then snag you." His eyes- well, the eyes of his mask- narrowed, and his face was now a foot from mine. I couldn't back up anymore. "No, I don't want _you_ to kill him. I want you to help _me_ kill him. I've always wanted a side kick, and none of the X-Men would help me out. Something about killing people is bad." he shrugged. "You in or out?"

This Deadpool guy was crazy. He broke into a school to find me, a twelve year old. He wanted a twelve year old to help him kill a guy.

A guy who'd kidnapped me, who'd changed me forever, who, after everything I had been through, had finally made me wish for death.

I tried to buy myself time. I wish he'd move his face farther away from mine. "I don't know how much help I'd be. Come on, I'm twelve. Or do you want me to sic my dad on him? Tony'd_"

"No. This is your fight, not Starkey Senior's. You'll never learn to take care of your own problems if you let daddy kill them all for you." He turned his piercing gaze to his left shoulder. "Shut up! She needs to learn this."

Who the hell was he talking to? Was he actually insane? Hearing voices in his head insane?

Turning his gaze back to me, he said, "Don't worry about tracking him down; I'll call up Sherlock Holmes." I briefly wondered if he would actually try to call up a fictional character, but Deadpool was talking way too fast for my attention to waiver for too long. "And you're right; you won't be much help to me, based on the half-assed fighting skills you just demonstrated. So until I find him, if you want in on killing the dickbag, you'll train with me."

I toyed with the strap of my backpack, looking down at my shoes so I didn't have to look at that mask. His comment about Tony solving my problems for me struck a nerve. He was right; I didn't want to hide behind Tony while he solved all my problems, Francis… well, the thought of killing someone made me sick.

But that sadistic bastard couldn't be left alive.

And training with Deadpool? I had seen the merc in action in the Red Room, but I had thought I was dead. His fighting style was distinctly more animalistic than the Avengers. It'd be cool to learn, useful to apply to my own style. Then again, this guy was certifiably crazy. The Avengers would never allow it. Natasha babied me, always making sure that I never got hurt; Deadpool would not give me that courtesy.

Hoping I sounded casual, I looked up, shrugged, and said "Sorry, DP. I'm kind of in trouble right now. Something about crazy, life-risking stunts. That's why I'm here in this school. I'm supposed to be learning how to blend in, and I have to be home right after school."

Deadpool tilted his head, finally leaning back and straightening up. "And you're actually going to listen to them? Lie! Tell them that you're going out for the soccer team or something like that and you have practice after school."

Yeah, this guy was a terrible influence.

"Remember that concussion you gave me when you knocked me out?" I glared at him, remembering my mental promise to stab Deadpool with a knife when I'd found out about it. Too bad I didn't have one. "Well, I also got a cracked skull. Yeah. There's no way that I could even play a sport, because if I hit my head again, I'm done."

"Then join chess club or something! If you want my training, if you want to keep Francis from doing _this_ "- he gestured to himself and me and then back again- "_then make it work. Meet me at this address no later than thirty minutes after your last class gets out Monday or I'll assume you're rudely declining my invitation." He shoved a piece of paper toward me and started toward the back door of the dark room, then turned around. "I'm surprised, Princess. I thought that you were made out of stronger stuff than this. I thought you'd want to help me at least castrate the creep."

He shoved me out the door, which closed with a snap behind me. I leaned my back against the wall next to the door and closed my eyes.

After Sokovia, I had just wanted to be with my family, be able to fight alongside them on missions as needed. To train myself so if there was something that needed to be done for SHIELD, I would have the skill set to do it.

But now- Ajax- no, Francis- was alive? How could I sleep at night knowing that bastard was still up and walking? What if he was mutating more people? More _children?_

It wasn't a question on what my latest goal now was. The question was- did I really want to lie to the Avengers? _Could_ I lie to the Avengers? And, just as importantly, could I murder someone, even if it was to stop him from hurting others?

I wiped the tears from my face, squared my shoulders, and ran to meet Natasha.

Despite the meeting with Deadpool lasting no longer than five minutes, Natasha was in freak out mode when I met her outside the school gates. Freak out mode for Natasha, at least- her eyes looked worried, but her posture was relaxed. "You're late, what were you doing?" she asked, pulling me into a hug before grasping me by my shoulders and holding me out at arm's length. "Holly, what's wrong?"

I wanted to tell her, wanted to cry and tell her that Francis was alive, and admit that I was scared. I wanted to tell her how ashamed I was that I felt so uncomfortable with killing someone that had hurt me and so many others so badly, and that I was a coward. That she was right, that even though I wanted to protect people, when faced with actually doing it, I was too scared.

But I didn't.

"I think I messed up," I said, my voice shaking from the lie, because my earlier fear over this seeming completely stupid now. "I promised Peter Parker that I'd help him with a science fair project, and he's going to figure out who I am, and_"

"Shhh," Natasha said, and I saw her face break into a grin as she pulled me into another hug. "You're allowed to have friends. That's awesome!"

"But it's after school," I choked out, secretly hoping that she'd say I'd have to be home right after school every day so I would have an excuse not to make this decision. "And I have to go to therapy and train_"

She stopped hugging me and put her hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at her. "You're fine, Holly, it's okay. It's great!"

I nodded, shocked that she believed that was what I was upset about. Then I saw the stress in her eyes was still there, despite her genuine smile about Peter and I doing the science fair. "What's going on?" I asked as my stomach dropped, if possible, even farther.

"It's just Pepper, Steve, you and me this weekend, kiddo," she said grimly. "No rest for the science bros. Coulson asked- well, Agent Fitz asked- if Tony and Bruce could come look at a 0-8-4, an object of unknown origin. They took Wanda and Vision with them- something about energy in the object…" Natasha trailed off, watching my face carefully.

"What? Why didn't Tony say anything?" I asked, distracted from Deadpool's visit. "Why couldn't we go, too? If it's energy they're dealing with, then I should have gone, right?"

Natasha started walking. I hurried after her. "Not here," she hissed. "But just so you know, they left immediately after they got the call at about 10 this morning. You didn't go because you are _not_ a SHIELD agent, an Avenger, or even a trainee for the Avengers initiative. You are a kid. Remember? Man-eating rocks are not on your agenda. So don't even think about jumping off the roof of Stark Tower and flying over there."

I pouted the rest of the way home. Natasha refused to say anything else except a distracted, 'it'll be okay, sweetheart'. I understood why- too many ears around.

Francis was alive and half my family was going to go check out a rock that could eat people? Fantastic.


	33. The Monolith

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey everyone, hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

 **There are minor Agents of SHIELD spoilers in this chapter from season three.**

 **As usual, I own nothing but the OC.**

"It's called the Monolith," Tony informed me as I sat at the dining room table, trying to ignore the apples and peanut butter Natasha had set next to the StarkTech tablet that displayed the video call from my father. I'd called him as soon as I walked through the door, not expecting him to answer- but he did on the second ring.

Natasha had flat out told me at first not to call them, explaining that they were likely busy, and that when they went on missions after their mandatory leave was over, I would not be able to call them. I'd almost panicked when she said that, and that coupled with the anxiety when I walked into Stark Tower and found our living space empty besides us was enough to make me ask, like a little kid, if I could please call Tony. It embarrassed me to need to talk to Tony like that, but surprisingly, she relented.

Natasha was acting more tense than I'd ever seen her, including during Sokovia. Her acting so tense was scaring me, making my adrenaline skyrocket. And worst of all, when I was trying to figure out why she was so tense, it reminded me- this was like when I'd been kidnapped, everyone ran off and I was left here with Coulson... I shook off that thought- Natasha would never let anyone take me, not when she was alive. But still, I wished my cuffs were off; I felt like I needed to blow off steam, to channel the energy, but I couldn't.

Once talking to Tony, I felt better. "Is the name actually literal? Natasha said that the 0-8-4 was a man eating rock," I asked, tilting the tablet up in my left hand and playing with Nova's chip in my right.

"Yep. Weird, right? We're examining it now- through a barrier, don't worry- Fitz has a ton of data already, but nothing concrete. I'm observing technological ways of manipulating it, and a mechanical way to make Wanda safe while she attempts to manipulate it with her powers. But odds are she won't use them; the unknown is too risky. Bruce is observing possible radiation."

I felt a pang of jealousy that they hadn't thought I'd be useful and brought me along, even though I knew Tony wouldn't want me anywhere near anything dangerous. My mind briefly revisited the conversation I'd had with Deadpool, about how he didn't seem to care about putting me in danger, he wanted me to help him kill a man…the man that had me kidnapped in the first place...

I forced myself to focus on the problem at hand and pushed my insecurities and worries aside. This wasn't about me, and I wasn't about to ask him to come home just because last time they'd left I'd been kidnapped. I had the Black Widow with me, for Pete's sake. And I was a way better fighter now. "How can I help?" I asked. "I could research- send me what this Fitz guy has got, I'll check it out," I added, eager both to help and for the distraction it'd bring. "Maybe I can find some conclusion that he hasn't."

Tony smiled, but looked sad, and shook his head. "We'll be back in a few days, Holls. I don't think we're going to find anything. I think Coulson just wanted to humor Fitz- to give him the satisfaction that he's done everything he can…"

My stomach dropped, and I could see my alarmed expression in the screen's reflection. "You mean the agent the rock ate, you're just going to let them die?" I didn't mention the other reason why I was shocked- a few days?

"Holly…" Tony said quietly. "Listen to what you just said. If the rock 'ate her', it ate her weeks ago. You know how long a human can survive without food or water."

I was quiet. I knew he was right. But… were they really just going to give up before they even really tried? They were the Avengers! They did the impossible all the time. And Tony was the one that had told me nothing was impossible.

After an awkward pause, Tony cleared his throat. "I love you, kiddo. Remember, Pepper will be back late tonight, she's got a Stark Industries meeting. Behave for Natasha, make sure you're only in the workshop if someone else is with you, and don't forget to bug Spangles for me when he gets back from Sam's place."

I smiled a little. "Love you too, Dad. Say hi to everyone for me."

The tablet blinked off. I set it down, sighed, and crossed my arms. Natasha sat down next to me, still tense. But it didn't make sense for her to be tense- I was jumpy about the similarities between now and being kidnapped, but Natasha probably wasn't thinking about that. Suddenly, it clicked. "The agent that went MIA," I said quietly as registered the look on her face. "Did you know them?"

Natasha looked like she was chewing on tough meat. Eventually, she sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "Her name was Jemma Simmons," Natasha informed me, her voice breaking. "And I did know her. She's a brilliant scientist, but also brave in the field… you would have liked her."

It hurt me to see Natasha like this. And she heard Tony say they were giving up…

I narrowed my gaze. "Get up," I said adamantly, standing up and striding over to the elevator, leaving my fear behind me. I had work to do. "We're going to the workshop. Get ready to see a hacker at work."

I was surprised Natasha listened to me.

"Tony didn't technically say you couldn't research it," Natasha said, shrugging as I palmed us into my workshop. "The only thing you're doing wrong is that you don't have the credentials to access anything in SHIELD's database. But neither does Tony, and it's common knowledge he does it all the time."

"Sit there," I told her, pointing to one of the more comfortable spinny chairs that would be out of my way. It felt weird to tell Natasha what to do. "Um, please. And don't touch anything. Sorry, I just_"

"Hey, I've been in the workshop with Tony a few times, I know the drill," Natasha said, raising her hands up and sitting in the chair that was next to my work station. "Just tell me if you need any help. I'm not completely awful with computers, you know."

"I know," I replied, shoving Nova's chip into the slot. "Nova, you there? Natasha's here," I added, to let Nova know not to say anything about the meeting with Deadpool. I'd talk it over with her later.

"Here. Today's the day we finally hack the SHIELD database? I was wondering when we would use that part of my programming."

"Yep," I said, powering up three different holo screens and setting them up in a tri fold around me. Each was roughly the size of a 40 inch TV screen. My back was to Natasha, so she could see them too. "Shouldn't take too long, since I enhanced your original hack-speed time. But I guess we'll find out."

"Wait- you've never hacked SHIELD before?" Natasha said, the spy's face showing genuine surprise.

"Nope," I shrugged as I started typing. "I didn't really have a desperate need for information until now. And besides, it makes me feel dirty to hack and creep on other people's information. Like walking into someone's room without permission." I struggled to explain my thoughts, knowing that Natasha had genuinely thought I'd snuck around. "I thought you guys would be furious if I did. And, like, I'd rather you guys tell me about yourselves then find it out by me sneaking around, you know?"

Natasha gave a short laugh. "Funny, everyone was kind of under the assumption that you Starks liked to know everything. We sort of already assumed you had. And no, we weren't mad. Just kind of accepted it."

"No," I said, offended, although interested that they wouldn't be mad if I had hacked their files. "The only file I've considered hacking was mine. Because sometimes, people don't like to tell me things about me."

I pressed the enter key a little too hard, gritting my teeth and watching the progress bar intensely. If Nova and I hacked the SHIELD server on the first try, I'd be impressed.

"In my own defense, I told them you have a right to know everything about you. In their defense, they want to protect you." Natasha's voice was apologetic. I didn't care.

"I'm not some stupid four year old that needs to be protected," I snapped. "I'm tough. If I can scrub my own blood out of the carpet after getting my nose broken for the upteenth time, then I can hear something that might scare me a little. So they're still hiding things from me?"

"Hack your file and find out. Or just ask them. You know they wouldn't lie to you."

I was silent, and I tore my eyes away from the screen and looked out the windows. Kids were out on the streets, enjoying the autumn air. When in Tempe had I just gone outside and played?

"I think the reason why you haven't hacked your own file or asked is because you're scared of what you'll find out about yourself."

"We're in, Holly," Nova's voice said proudly as file after file popped up on my trifold screen faster than I could read them.

Relieved that I now had a ready made excuse to not respond to Natasha, I pumped my fist and said, "Great work, Nova! Now, find everything they have on the monolith. Copy it all onto my private server, please." To Natasha, I turned around. "Do you know anything about the Monolith? How big it is, the origins, anything?"

Natasha shook her head. "I could probably get someone to send me a picture, though."

"Here's one, Holly," Nova's cool voice said and a hologram of the rock popped up.

"Why am I here again?" Natasha muttered. "Oh, yeah. Babysitting the genius."

I ignored her and walked around the Monolith. It was huge, taller than me by several feet, and wider than my wingspan. It was shaped as an imperfect rectangular prism; the bottom had a smaller girth than the top. The coloring was a charcoal grey, almost black. I'd never seen any rock like it. "Is the coloring accurate?" I asked Nova.

"Yes. This is a scan from Leopold Fitz himself," Nova said.

I'm not going to lie, even the hologram of a man-eating rock was giving me the creeps. "Thanks, Nova. Dissipate it." How did it… eat her? I mean, I sort of was imagining quicksand or something of the sort."

"Apparently it turns into liquid, surrounds its victims, and then turns back into a solid, according to notes from NASA," Nova told me.

"How does Nova- you know what, nevermind," Natasha huffed. I turned back toward her. "Nova read everything in relationship to the Monolith about thirty seconds after I hacked the server," I informed her. Then, using the information she found, she pulled everything that could possibly be relevant. I added it into her coding last week."

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "Not that it isn't impressive. But are you sure that's a good idea, considering we just had to save the world from a psycho AI?"

I shrugged. "Nova's not here to protect the world. Nova's here to help me know stuff and fly my suit. Besides, Friday can do a lot more. JARVIS could do, like, anything." I turned back to the monitors. You said that NASA had notes on the Monolith. Can you pull those files up on my screen?"

The next few hours, I read until I had a raging headache, and then I read until I had to put on headphones and had to have Nova read it to me, my eyes screwed up tight against the agitating blue light from the screens Natasha was reading on.

I wasn't really coming to any conclusions; mostly, my mind raced at a million miles an hour at the stupid things that NASA had done with the monolith. Those idiots had sent people into the rock with equipment, thinking the rock was of alien origin (which it probably was) and the rock was a portal. The problem was that it was obvious that they'd went about it the wrong way- if the rock was a portal, yes, it'd be to an alien planet. But who in their damn mind thought that humans would be able to breathe on other planets, let alone that our technology would work on other planets? Of course no one they sent into the death rock would come back! It was a suicide mission. I knew what Thor meant now when he was droning on and on about Asgard and how humans had a knack for messing with things they didn't understand. They'd likely condemned innocent astronauts to death by suffocation. Because my guess, from what I'd read, was that this rock was actually alive and carnivorous. It would seize its victims and then digest them.

But that was stupid… it wasn't alive, it didn't breathe, it was a rock…

Less stupid than it being a portal… but then how did they fit in so many at one time?

I wasn't aware I'd fallen asleep listening to Nova read the files until Natasha shook me. "Holly, it's way past your bedtime, and Pepper's going to throw a fit if she gets home and and finds out that not only have you been in the workshop for seven hours, but also that you haven't eaten anything. Let's grab some food and get you in bed. I won't tell if you don't."

I groggily stumbled out of my chair and started to clean up my workshop. Natasha shook her head. "Come on, Holly, just leave it."

"No," I muttered sleepily. "Have to clean it up. I'll get in trouble otherwise."

"You've never left a mess anywhere, ever. Once is uncharacteristic, not a cause for you to get yelled at. Besides, Tony's space is a mess."

"I'll get hurt if I don't."

Natasha grabbed me around the shoulders, and it was enough to wake me up enough that I remembered that Tony and Pepper had different expectations. My workshop and my room was okay to leave stuff out in. Not that I ever did, out of habit. "You okay?" she asked, peering into my eyes.

I looked away, finally fully conscious. "Yeah, just really tired. Didn't sleep well last night," I shrugged so she'd let go of me and headed out of the workshop and into the elevator, knowing she knew why I hadn't slept well last night, praying she'd let it go.

"The relaxation exercises not working out for you yet?" she asked sympathetically. Damn, no luck. "It took awhile for me, too."

"You do them?" I asked, surprised as we ascended to the kitchen.

"Every night," Natasha said grimly.

"And…" I hesitated, knowing from experience that nightmares were personal, but ploughed on. "Do you still get nightmares?"

Natasha gave me half a smile and put her arm around my shoulders. "They don't go away, not really. But I get them less as more time passes, and I can remind myself that I'm not that person anymore, I'm not in that situation anymore. Remember, Holly, that it's over. You can move forward."

I stepped into the kitchen and didn't say anything, just walked over to the fridge, wondering what Natasha had done while she was working for the Russians. I don't think I wanted to know. "Can I make you something?" I asked Natasha hesitantly, looking at the shelves of food. Unless if it was just getting cereal or making a sandwich, the Avengers didn't let me make my own food, not even snacks, and I hated it. They always got it for me. I wasn't a little kid, and I wasn't stupid enough to light the place on fire.

"I'll have whatever you're having," she said with a smile. "Doesn't even have to have vegetables in it."

I ended up finding two microwavable mac'n'cheese cups, so we had those. It was more like mac'n'cheese soup though. I don't know how, since I followed the directions exactly.

As Natasha pretended to like the mac n cheese, she asked, "Why is it that you talk to me, but you don't like to tell stuff to Tony and Pepper?"

I pretended to eat, but finally said, "Because… I dunno. I don't want them to not want me anymore, I guess. I don't want to annoy them."

Natasha put down her fork. "That is the dumbest thing you've said since you tried to convince Steve that Tony doesn't vote."

I cracked up as I remembered that dinner conversation. "That was funny. Steve ranted for like, twenty minutes about the importance of democracy…"

Natasha laughed too, but then said, "I think you should try opening up to them more, Holly. You might be surprised."

I didn't say anything back, and Natasha didn't press it.

After that, I brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas, and headed into my room, ready to go to bed. It was almost midnight. I was shocked when I saw Natasha waiting for me at the foot of my bed, holding the stupid book of relaxation exercises. "Really?" I groaned. "I'm tired! Just let me go to bed. They don't work for me, alright?"

"You haven't even really tried," Natasha said flatly. "Pepper told me that you just pout about it."

I flushed."Because they don't work! Tony thinks they're dumb, and they're pointless for me-"

"No, what's pointless is Tony and Pepper spending so much time on it, hoping that it'll help you, when you refuse to even try to relax your mind before sleeping. Stop being a baby and do the damn exercises."

I didn't have anything to say to that. Natasha, as usual, was right. I hopped into bed and pulled the blankets up to my chin. "Ready," I told Nat.

Natasha had half an eye on Holly as she read from the book. She had to admit; this book was dull, much worse than the routine Natasha went through. She'd have to talk to Tony and Pepper about potentially changing it. But she didn't want them to think she was stepping on toes- Pepper already got snippy sometimes about that. She shouldn't have worried; Natasha would never be a mother, the Red Room made sure of that.

But still, Natasha couldn't help but love the kid, even though she knew that it went against everything the Red Room had taught her. Holly represented what Natasha believed that they fought for as Avengers; not just to survive, but for the ability to live a life. And although Holly's life wasn't perfect- far from it, with the mess that Natasha knew was Holly's head- she should never doubt again that she was loved.

Why else would Natasha read these stupid exercises out loud to Tony Stark's kid?

Of course, Natasha would have stayed the entire night in Holly's room anyway. Last time the Avengers had left for a mission, Holly had been kidnapped by Hydra. And although Holly may not have made that connection, Natasha sure as hell had. Armed with her Widow's Bite and a cup of black coffee, she stayed awake as the kid tossed, turned, and occasionally whimpered as Holly's subconscious tried to make sense of memories no child should have to cope with.

Maybe it was just because I was tired, but for the first time since I'd started the exercises, I fell asleep before Natasha was done reading them. And although I did have a nightmare, when I woke up from it, it was daylight, so Nova's chip wasn't the only light in the room. I was briefly confused- I hadn't remembered turning her matrix on, or grabbing the chip from the workshop, for that matter. Natasha must have done it for me. Then I saw that the chair hadn't been moved and there was an empty coffee cup on my bedside table- she'd stayed in here overnight?

I guess I hadn't been the only one that had made the connection between now and being kidnapped last time. I was surprised she'd let me out of her sight now, wherever she was.

I sat up and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I felt better-rested than I had in a long time. Nothing like a long night of research to put me straight to sleep, I guess.

My stomach growled, I laughed. Checking the time, I saw it was eight. So I'd gone roughly twenty hours with only a mac'n'cheese cup and my stomach was complaining- that was laughable. Six months ago, a mac'n'cheese cup in a 48 hour period would have sufficed. But I wanted to get back to research, and I knew that Natasha (and Pepper, since she was back from her meeting) wouldn't let me skip down to the workshop without eating.

Besides, I wanted to see Pepper first. As much as I hated the relaxation exercises and loved spending time with Natasha, I'd missed Pepper kissing my forehead and telling me goodnight. Like my mom had used to do until I was four or five.

I quickly made my bed, dressed, and checked my phone, hoping that Tony had called. He hadn't, just texted me saying that he'd probably be home sometime on Sunday. I also had a text from Peter.

I ignored it for the time being- the Monolith was more important. Shoving my phone into my pocket, I hurried out of my room and into the Stark floor living room. Natasha and Pepper were both on the couch, drinking coffee. Now I knew why she'd let me out of her sight- she was outside the door, anyway. I was starting to wonder if the reason why Natasha's nightmares had gone away wasn't because she had bought into the relaxation exercise crap, but because she just never slept anyway.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Pepper said with a smile as she got up and crossed the room. "You look like you got a good night's sleep."

I met her halfway and hugged her tight. "It wasn't bad. Did Nat fill you in about the Monolith?"

"Yeah," Pepper said, sitting back down. "I hear that you've hacked SHIELD's database. Did you find anything?"

I went over to the fridge and grabbed out some milk and a nutrition shake. "Not yet," I muttered. She didn't sound mad about me hacking SHIELD. I wasn't thinking about the monolith yet; I was just trying not to think about my latest nightmare. At least this one wasn't real, it wasn't a memory; I hadn't held a gun to Ajax's forehead and wasted him.

"If you're getting yourself a bowl of cereal, I hid a box of Trix from Tony," Pepper called.

I laughed. Pepper and I had made a deal (with Jane's approval); if I drank a nutrition shake, I could have kids' cereal for breakfast, not the gross-but-healthy adult types that Tony and Pepper ate when the Avengers didn't all sit down for breakfast. Tony was adamant that this was unfair. As a result, most of the time we were out of the cereals that actually tasted good because Tony had no self restraint. "Thanks, Pepper!"

As Pepper and Natasha drank their coffee and talked about the Stark Industries meeting, I chomped on my Trix and sat at the breakfast bar. My eyes, bored, wandered around the kitchen, eventually falling on the stack of newspapers that were ready to be recycled. I grabbed one- The Daily Bugle. I snorted, about to throw it aside and grab a newspaper that wasn't a tabloid when the headline caught my eye. WALL-CRAWLER STRIKES AGAIN! It screamed, with a poor, grainy photo of a masked figure wearing sweats 'crawling' up a wall. I shook my head- any idiot could make adhesive gloves. Squinting at the picture, I didn't see any. So it was probably photoshopped.

I read the article anyway, sifting through the typos to get the story. They were calling this guy 'Spider-Man' and apparently he 'beat up' 'innocent' civilians that were just 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'. Aka, he was some wannabe Avenger without powers, trying to protect a city from petty criminals. I squinted at the picture again. Definitely didn't see any gloves. Maybe… maybe he was like me. A mutant. It just sounded like the stuff of urban legends. A regular guy gets superhuman powers and then goes all vigilante. Of course, legends were based on fact…

"I've been looking in the wrong place!" I exclaimed, dropping the tabloid on the counter. "Holy smokes!"

Pepper and Natasha stopped talking and looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" Pepper asked, confused.

"I've gotta get down to the workshop," I said, ignoring Pepper and quickly rinsing out my bowl. "See, the SHIELD guys have looked through all this stuff I've got a million times. It's all hard, cold facts. I've gotta look for legends about rocks eating people!"

Natasha and Pepper exchanged bewildered looks as I sprinted into the elevator. "Don't look at me, she's your daughter," I heard Natasha say as the doors closed.

Several fruitless hours later, and all Nova and I had found were the legends that confirmed what the NASA scientists thought- that the Monolith was a portal to another planet.

Pepper was with me now instead of Natasha, doing work on Stark Industries stuff while I read and researched. "This doesn't make sense," I grumbled to Nova. "There's no way that this thing leads to another planet. It isn't possible."

"It also isn't possible to become a giant green rage monster, manipulate energy, survive in ice for seventy years, be a God from Norse Mythology…" Pepper trailed off, hiding a smile behind a piece of paper she was reading.

"I get the point," I grouched to Pepper. "But that stuff is based on science! Well, not Thor, but…"

"Holly, with all that you've seen, can you really not believe that a rock can transport people to another planet?" Pepper put her paper down. "This universe is a lot bigger than you think it is."

"Tony doesn't think it can transport people," I told her stubbornly.

"Tony has the same flaw that you do- you take science too literally. I mean, he's met two Gods, Thor and Loki, and he's still an atheist!"

"Steve's met two gods and he's still a Christian," I pointed out. "People have their beliefs for a reason. But that's not the point. Scientifically… I mean, fine, let's say that this rock can transport people to another planet. Who says humans can breathe on this planet? Seriously, I'm just in shock that NASA would be dumb enough to send people through." I ran my hands over my face. The Customary Rules of International Humanitarian Law that Fury had made me read kept popping into my mind. Sacrificing them to the rock with no idea of what would happen, that was wasting human lives.

"Who says the portal was for humans?" Pepper asked, teasing.

I looked up in shock at Pepper's seemingly useless side comment. "You're right! It wasn't made for humans. But it wasn't for aliens either, not really." My mind raced a million miles an hour. "Nova! Where did the Inhumans come from?" I asked, my voice high from excitement. If I was right…

"The Inhumans were made from Kree blood centuries ago, the genetic mutation passed from generation to generation, dormant until it came into contact with Terrigen crystals, which triggers the change," Nova explained after about twenty seconds.

Pepper looked at me, confused. "Um…"

"What if this is for Inhumans?" I exclaimed, my voice cracking with excitement. "What if this is a portal to the Kree planet? What if the reason no one has come back is because we haven't sent an Inhuman through?"

"That's a good thought," Pepper said thoughtfully as her brain made the connection and it dawned on her. "You need to tell Tony!"

"Yeah, it is a great idea, Because Jemma Simmons_" I double checked to make sure_ "_Jemma Simmons was a human. So all they need to do to get her back might be just to send an Inhuman to open the portal from the other side!"

"It could be," Nova said. "Or it could be one of the millions of other species in the galaxy, and you'd be sending another innocent person to their death. Or it could just be a rock."

My stomach turned to ice, and I flushed. "You're right, Nova. That was thoughtless. No one should go into the Monolith." I shook my head. Maybe I shouldn't judge the NASA scientists too harshly- they were willing to risk their lives to potentially discover a planet. I was willing to waste a life on a whim.

"You should still send your idea to them," Pepper said after a pause. "It's something they haven't thought of, at least."

"Yeah, I will, but I'll mention that an Inhuman should not go in, period," I said. "Not even willingly. I'll type it up."

"It's a nice day out," Pepper mentioned. "Probably one of the last we'll have for awhile, since winter is coming. Are you going to keep researching, or do you want to go to Central Park?"

I stopped typing and looked at Pepper, biting my lip. I hated it when they gave me choices like this. If I went to Central Park, it'd make them happy, because I was acting like a normal kid- but it was choosing not to research, which made me look like I didn't care about the missing agent. I never knew which one they wanted me to pick, and I worried they'd yell at me for picking wrong, even though they haven't yet. "Which one do you want to do?" I asked Pepper.

"Your choice," she shrugged casually. "Either way, you're going to eat lunch right after you type it up."

I scratched the back of my neck, internally debating. I really did want to go to Central Park, but… . "Is it safe to leave the tower?"

"We'll be disguised," Pepper assured me. "And Natasha would come."

"Can we go to Central Park? And maybe take sandwiches there and eat them?" I blurted out before flushing in embarrassment.

"Like a picnic?" Pepper asked, her lips twitching.

"Yeah, I've never had one before. They sounded fun when I read about them in books as a kid." Pepper's face broke into a grin, and I was sure she was about to start laughing at me. "I mean, if you think it's dumb, that's okay, we don't have to-"

"No way, it sounds fun," Pepper cut me off. "Hurry up and type that up, will you?" She headed out of the workshop. "By the way- great work researching, Holly. I'm proud of you."

My grin was so big it hurt my face.


	34. Science Projects and Merc Training

"Did you give me a wrong number?" Peter asked me as soon as I sat down in Chemistry Monday morning.

"What?" I asked as I pulled out my chemistry textbook, notebook, graphing calculator, and folder. Maybe I could finish at least some of the chem homework problems I'd neglected all weekend before class started. The rest of the Avengers had come home late Saturday night, and Sunday had been spent making up the training I'd missed and working on my glasses. They were finally fully functioning; Bruce just had to make sure the Cursor Contacts were safe. In the meantime, I would just text the commands to Nova, and Nova would control the lenses screen. I was wearing them today, but hadn't activated them yet. It made me feel better to wear the fake glasses since they actually did something. Thinking ahead, I had also made a pair of tricked out aviator sunglasses; that way, if I needed a quick 'I'm just a civilian' disguise, I'd have one. And if I didn't change my mind… I'd need one later today, on my way to Hell's Kitchen.

Tony was proud of both my hacking SHIELD, my research, and my invention. But unfortunately, Jemma Simmons hadn't emerged from the Monolith, and I hadn't gotten any of my homework done. Whatever; a few zeros wouldn't kill my grades. Besides- research that might save someone's life and some awesome tech that could one day save my life, or homework?

"I texted you this weekend, about an idea for the science fair," Peter explained. He looked exhausted. Probably stayed up all night studying.

"I'm sorry, I had a crazy weekend," I apologized. It was as close as I could get to the truth. "But good news- my parents are okay with me staying after school for two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I can also work on it every day during gym class," I told him. I only half-lied there- I had told them I would be meeting with Peter every day (so if I ended up training with Deadpool, I would have that time slot available three times a week), and they were more than okay with it; they were thrilled. But on the nights that I had therapy, I didn't get to go to the workshop. That was the trade off, but training with Deadpool… well, I hadn't decided yet on whether or not I would train with Deadpool; I kept going back and forth. I still had a few hours to decide.

"Why can you do it during gym class?" Peter asked, confused. "And that's great about Tuesdays and Thursdays- But I can't this Tuesday."

"I, um, hit my head pretty bad over the summer," I explained to him. "TBI. That's why my hands were shaky, as you noticed during the titration lab." My tone clipped at the end.

Peter looked apologetic. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Haleigh. But if it makes you feel better, I didn't notice your hands- I just have fast reflexes."

I almost rolled my eyes. Because you needed fast reflexes to do a high school level titration lab. "Okay, Fast Reflexes, what are your ideas for this science fair? We're in it to win it, you know. Don't worry about materials- my dad can get it from the military labs." Tony would never know if I ordered some extra parts, and he probably wouldn't mind me ordering them, anyway.

Peter grinned. "That's a relief. I don't know about you, but my allowance is pretty minimal. And by that, I mean, nonexistent. That's why I can't stay this Tuesday- I take pictures for the Daily Bugle, and I'm meeting with the editor." He didn't sound enthused.

I bit my tongue about what I thought about that particular newspaper and instead thought about the meagre poker winnings, which, in my mind was all I had to my name, despite the credit cards in my wallet next to them. He had a job; didn't matter where. Of course, I might ask Pepper about creating a paid internship with Stark Industries…

Peter was looking embarrassed, so I decided to change the subject. "Yeah, I feel you. Being a kid and making money is hard." That was completely honest- when travelling from Tempe to Malibu, I couldn't get so much as a buck thrown my way for doing odd jobs. Legalities and taxes. I cleared my throat. "So, your ideas for the project?"

"Well, just one, really," Peter said, talking quickly, eyes lighting up. "Invisibility. Making a cloaking device. To hide an object- or a person."

I scoffed. Why was he so excited? "That's already been done. I had thought we would be making something new."

"It hasn't been made by two kids with limited resources," he pointed out. "Do you know how to make a cloaking device off the top of your head?"

I wanted to snort and tell him the truth- that no, I didn't know from the top of my head, but it'd take me a week from start to finish to make one. But instead I forced a laugh. "Good point. Okay, let's do it."

His face was shocked. "You don't think it's too hard?"

I pulled a face. "Of course it's going to be hard," I told him. It was an honest statement- it'd be hard for me to work with him, and it'd be hard to do it with the scraps I could take from the workshop without it looking like I had access to practically unlimited funds. "But if it wasn't hard, it'd be boring. I'm not going to help you do something boring," I stated adamantly.

The bell rang before Peter could say anything back, and in my mind I was already thinking of ways I could adapt it to my suit.

I was still on the fence about merc training after I'd completed the stupid make-up assignments for gym class. I had dropped the assignment for today off and was now pacing back and forth in front of the half-muscle half-bone painting. I had ten minutes before I would have to leave in order to make it to the warehouse in time; I would have to go on foot, since flying over there with my suit would be an obvious tip off to the Avengers that I wasn't working on a science project. Hell, if I was seen in the suit, it'd be the headline of the six o'clock news, and then we'd discuss it in World History tomorrow.

Nova thought it was a terrible idea, and had told me as much when I was finally alone in my lab Sunday, finishing my glasses. In her sassy manner, she griped about how when he grabbed me Friday, I'd forgotten to activate my suit and she should have a say when my suit was activated. I shot that down immediately, not because I didn't trust her, but because if she malfunctioned, it'd be pretty embarrassing if my suit randomly deployed in home ec or something. After that, she'd showed me everything SHIELD had about Deadpool- his healing factor from Francis, the fact that he was pretty much completely crazy, and bits of his past being a merc.

I had told Nova in the end that I needed to train with him because he would teach me things the Avengers wouldn't, either due to their morals or my age. But I respected Nova's opinion- her number one reason for why I absolutely should not meet up with Deadpool was that it would be a slam dunk for CPS's case to get me away from Tony if I was hurt or caught; I'd lied to him, snuck into a seedy part of town, and trained with a merc.

That's why I knew, morally, that I shouldn't do it. I hated lying to them, and Tony and Pepper had taken me into their home. The Avengers had taken me into their lives, and neither party asked for much in return. They weren't forcing me to make tech for them, they weren't making me fight for them; all I had to do was try to learn social skills, do my best with the relaxation techniques that Tony and Pepper took time out of their night for, and follow the rules they set. And there weren't a lot; I was responsible for making my bed and keeping my room and lab neat (which I would have done anyway), start the relaxation exercises at 9:30, I was on the rotation to wash the dishes, and, of course, I needed to do what they told me to. Which didn't bother me in the slightest, because anything they told me to do was for a good reason- usually, it was for my safety or my health.

Lying to them and running off with a crazy mutant in a shady part of town would definitely piss them off, I felt terrible about betraying their trust, even more so than jumping off the helicarrier; that was to save Natasha. This was dangerous and was only because I wanted to become a better fighter. This was selfish and dangerous.

But Francis needed to be stopped. And besides, if I got good enough, if my fighting skills were good enough, then maybe the Avengers would let me start going on missions.

It wouldn't hurt to at least meet with him today, talk to him, see what he wanted to teach me. I turned and walked out the door. The security in this high school obviously sucked.

Getting to Hell's Kitchen without being recognized was surprisingly easy. Not only did I have my dyed hair and my nanomask, but I also swapped out my fake tricked-out glasses for my tricked- out aviators and switched them on.

While I could communicate with Nova only by speaking aloud or texting her, she could see exactly what my lenses showed as soon as I hit the miniscule on switch and put text right onto the lense-screen so I could read it. And boy, was she salty.

'You're actually doing it!?' Popped up on my left lense-screen.

'Yep,' I texted her back.

'I'm not calling the Avengers when this goes sideways.'

I grinned and shook my head, not even bothering to call her out on her bluff before typing back, 'Watch my back.'

'If you wanted that, you should have added cameras to the back of these babies. Hope this mission together goes better than our last'. Nova, of course knew the speed at which I read, and as soon as I finished reading the last word, the text faded and the HUD showed.

I barked out an exhilarated laugh, admiring the smooth transition from blank text to a HUD.

Thank God I'd finished my glasses. Thanks to Nova, I had constant feedback and warnings- by hacking the security cameras, she not only kept a lookout for the Avengers, but also took me on different routes twice so I would avoid shady characters.

The aviators weren't my only disguise for my journey to Hell's Kitchen, as I had also put a black sweatshirt over my regular clothes. With my hair tucked up under a Yankees baseball cap and wearing plain loose blue jeans and black converse, I probably looked like a boy, not like the daughter of a billionaire superhero. I blended in with the crowds of New Yorkers just as easy, if not easier, than I did when I escaped Tempe. I could slip through the crowds without being noticed, while Nova and I secretly observed everything so I could be tipped off if someone did notice me.

So, although I got some suspicious looks from security guards, I always managed to avoid them and was never stopped. If I ran into one of the Avengers, I didn't know what I'd do. Run away and then beg for mercy when they caught me, probably.

So most of my journey was pretty easy. But once I got to Hell's Kitchen, I began to have problems. Despite Nova's comforting presence, the place gave me the creeps. Everyone noticed me because it was obvious that I didn't belong there, and I started to panic. Forget Hydra, forget mutant psychopaths- I was a twelve year old girl alone in a dangerous area. My more immediate problem was pedophiles and human trafficking agents. I thumbed the knife of Natasha's that I'd 'borrowed' and had strapped to my forearm. This was officially my dumbest idea yet. At least Nova wasn't rubbing it into my face yet, just tagging suspicious people on my HUD and taking me through the safest known route- although apparently, according to her, most of the security cameras in this part of town were fakes.

I crept into the warehouse at the address Deadpool had given me and slid the door shut behind me. I knew I was early, so I didn't expect anyone to be there, and I didn't see anyone in the dim light the dirty windows provided. Quickly, I switched from my aviators to my fake glasses. I grinned triumphantly- as soon as I switched them on, it immediately transferred the data, without me having to give Nova further instructions.

"Woah! Plot twist! The Avenger Princess actually showed up!"

I swear Deadpool literally came out of nowhere and dropped down in front of me, and I tried not to show how badly that scared me.

"I'm not a coward," I told him coldly. "But I do want to talk about some more logistics before I commit to anything."

'First thing, tell him that you need to train somewhere other than Hell's Kitchen.'

I ignored Nova, focusing instead on Deadpool.

He put his hands to his mouth in mock surprise. "Woah, big words. Do you do that just to show off? Eh, whatever. Let's start this show. Here's how it's gonna work. We fight, I kick your ass, I tell you where you screwed up, we fight again, and I kick your ass again, but you do slightly better. Once you suck less, we'll move these little sessions to the dead of night and you can show me some vigilante skills. Sounds good?"

No, does not sound good at all. This was risky enough- sneaking out of Stark Tower? I'd have an easier time picking up Mjolnir. "I have to leave in," I checked my phone, "One hour. You ready to rumble?"

"You've been watching too many 80's gangs movies. No one calls it a rumble anymore. Hey, what are you doing?"

I had began to strip down to my shorts and skin tight compression shirt that I'd worn under my regular clothes. I'd already decided that I wouldn't show him I had a suit in my backpack, just in case I needed to defend myself against him for real. "This is what I wear to spar in, unless you'd like me to use my Iron Man suit," I snapped. "We can't all run around in a mask all day."

"Um, no. I've never said this, but put your clothes back on."

I cringed at his tasteless comment and looked at him with disgust, considering calling my suit to me and blasting him.

"Yes, I know that comment was inappropriate," He snapped over his left shoulder. He turned to his right and said, "Yeah, you're right." He looked at me. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually around kids. Not sure why, I'm a great influence. By the way, great disguise. She totally didn't rip off of Marvel, with the typical hoodie, hat, and glasses disguise."

There was no one behind him but a wall with rotting beams. He had been talking to himself, except for the last little bit. I cleared my throat, fighting through the nerves in my stomach. "What's a marvel?" I asked, completely bewildered. Then I shook my head; I didn't want to know. "Nevermind. Why not change? This is what I fight in. Even when I went to Sokovia, I was wearing skin tight SHIELD-issued clothing, and Natasha said it'd give me an advantage, because people can't grab onto me_"

"Natasha said it'd give me an advantage," he mocked. "Well guess what? Sometimes you aren't going to be running into a battle, Princess. Sometimes you get dragged into one. And then what are you gonna do? Tell them that you need to change into superhero spandex? So this gives you two options. Either wear your fighting clothes all day every day, like me, or learn to fight in street clothes. Since not everyone looks as good as my ass does in spandex, looks like we're stuck with the latter. Let's go!"

And with that, Deadpool attacked me. He didn't use his katanas, which I was grateful for; but he did land hard kicks and punches to my sides, back, and chest that I would have bruises from, which would be difficult to explain. It wasn't necessarily a one-sided fight; I broke his wrist once (it was an accident, I'd done a move incorrectly) but it healed five minutes later, and he still fought despite the broken wrist.

At the end of the hour, I was sore, exhausted, and pissed. Besides his kicks and punches, I had hit the ground, hard, over and over. Fighting hand to hand was difficult to sustain for long, and we took brief breaks in which Deadpool told me every single mistake I made. But what I was mostly pissed about was that Deadpool had showed me that Natasha's training, which I thought was cool and difficult, and really preparing me to fight, was actually embarrassingly juvenile. When Deadpool flipped me and I hit the ground, I hit the dirt hard enough to make me wonder if I just collapsed a lung, and he didn't care. When Natasha flipped me, she was careful, the blow stung for a few seconds, but then it was over.

Did she think I was weak? Or was she just babying me because she was worried I'd make a connection between training and the abuse from Tempe?

Because although the outcomes of Tempe and Deadpool's training would be similar, I could tell the difference. The fear of my stepfather shut me down, made me freeze. At first when I started training with Natasha, any violence made me freeze. The fear from getting hurt from Deadpool, or fighting in general, was now waking me up, making me think faster and better. I went all-out against him because I absolutely had to.

Maybe I could try to tell Natasha that, that the fear of being hurt woke me up now instead of shut me down. Maybe then she could train me like Deadpool, and I wouldn't have to be around the vulgar psycho that scared me almost as much as Francis did.

But then again, maybe the difference was that I didn't love Deadpool; I had no obligation to love him, like I had tried to love my stepfather. Natasha, I genuinely loved, and maybe that was the connection; when people I loved went to hurt me, that shut me down. Who knew. It'd be a good question to ask my therapist if I wasn't trying to convince him that I was fine.

"You know, you talk too damn much," I panted as I put my backpack back on my shoulders.

"Why else do you think they call me the Merc with a Mouth?" Deadpool asked in disgust as he casually spun a glock around his finger. I hoped the safety was on.

I didn't point out that I knew virtually nothing about him except that we had both escaped Francis' workshops, he'd saved my life, and he had regenerative healing powers. Instead I said, "See you here Wednesday. How did I do today?"

"Not as pathetic since you walked in here, so I guess that's a good thing," Deadpool sighed. "Your problem is that you react. You don't think ahead, you don't try to attack them, it's all to save yourself. Yeah, yeah. You were probably abused. Let me guess- stepfather. Also probably tried to touch you, right? I thought so_ OUCH! Son of a_"

I left Natasha's knife buried two inches deep into Deadpool's bicep and ran out of the warehouse. Worth it, the bastard. I'd get her a new one for Christmas.

"Are sure you're okay, Holly?" Pepper asked me for the thousandth time since we sat down for dinner. I was aching in a thousand different places from training with the Merc.

I looked up from my barely touched plate of chicken marsala. "I said I'm fine," I snapped. The rest of the residents of Stark Tower stopped talking and looked at me. I flushed. "Bad day at school," I muttered as an excuse. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we all have bad days," Bruce said with a sympathetic smile. "Good thing you don't turn green when it happens, you just get cranky."

I appreciated his small joke. He'd been distant with me except when I asked his opinions on my work. I think he was still mad that I didn't let him go MIA after Sokovia.

"You want to talk about it?" Natasha asked. "You weren't this way when I picked you up. I thought that working on the science project went well?"

I was still hopped up on adrenaline then from fighting practice, I wanted to tell her. Not ready to fall asleep in my food. Instead, I shrugged and told another half-truth. I hated doing this. "It's nothing. I'm just tired." Seeing that most of them were done eating, I quickly added, "I can start clearing the table, if you'd like. Then we can start reading."

"No, you eat," Pepper told me firmly. I almost rolled my eyes, but stopped myself. Although it could get annoying, I knew that the reason why she nagged me was because she cared.

I choked down the rest of my chicken marsala while Steve read Life of Pi, Tony and Pepper washed the dishes (It was my and Pepper's turn, but Tony stepped in without Pepper even asking him to), and the rest of the Avengers listened. I couldn't pay attention very well; my stomach felt like I'd eaten acid instead of chicken and mushrooms.

I was too tired to mutation train with Wanda tonight, but I knew that if I didn't, then it'd be suspicious. So I finished my homework, changed into my compression clothing, and met Wanda in the gym. In addition to the pounding headache that developed while I'd been crunching numbers for chem, my stomach was killing me; I hated mushrooms, they always make me feel sick. Maybe I should just go see Jane…

But I'd been purposely avoiding her except for my physicals since I got called out for lying to her a few weeks ago. I was still embarrassed.

Wanda and I warmed up, both physically and powers-wise. My muscles were already shaking with exhaustion. Lately, we had been working on transferring energy from solids and using it in a similar fashion to my hand repulsors on my suit, although it took me a lot of concentration and it wasn't very powerful. When coupled with my arc reactor while wearing a suit, Wanda estimated that it could easily stop a heart if I hit a target in the chest. I wasn't sure how I felt about that yet. I wouldn't be trying it anytime soon, that was for sure.

We rarely practiced with my suit, and only with Tony and Bruce supervising. Tonight, we were alone, and Wanda was trying to get me to manipulate the particles in the air to turn from a gas to a solid. I was convinced it was impossible. Drawing energy from liquids were harder; gases were the hardest. Transforming a gas to a solid, no way.

But I was focusing, trying. Wanda was talking me through it, and it was working. Finally, a hunk of ice the size of a brick suddenly emerged out of thin air. Beads of sweat stuck to my forehead.

"Nice job, Holly!" Wanda cheered. "Now_"

But the ice dropped to the ground and shattered, and I bolted to one of the trash cans Tony kept in here so his floor didn't get messed up, finally overcome by nausea.

Wanda didn't hold back my hair or rub my back like Natasha or Pepper would have, thankfully, but she helped me up and handed me a water bottle. I rinsed out my mouth and spat the water into the trash can. "Sorry. Let's go again," I said, weirdly not feeling nauseous at all now.

Wanda stared at me. "Are you kidding? We're going to go see Jane," she said adamantly. "Come on, now."

I didn't want to go see Jane, or tell any of the Avengers that I had gotten sick. They'd just make a fuss. And it was weird to me that they'd make such a huge deal over it. "Wanda, really, I'm fine," I sighed. "You're just going to make everyone get worked up over nothing. You know that feeling when you work out too hard and then you feel sick? It was like that, and I really do feel better now." I tried to make myself sound casual, and I shrugged and said, "If you don't think it's a good idea to keep going, then let's warm down, stretch, and call it a night. I just don't want them to get all worried for nothing, you know?" I pushed some loose hairs off my sweaty forehead and tried to look like I didn't still have a splitting headache.

To my surprise, Wanda laughed. "Yeah, I do know. They're overprotective of me too, and I'm almost a legal adult here in the states. Let's stretch."

I was shocked. I didn't think that'd actually work. As Wanda picked the stretches we did, I asked her, "Do you like living here? In the states, I mean."

"It's not so bad," she muttered. "Better than being a Hydra pet. And now I have some direction, I can train to protect the world. I just miss…"

She trailed off. I knew she missed her brother. "But you like living here with us, right?" I asked, knowing it sounded childish.

Wanda gave me an amused smile. "Yeah, except there's this short person that runs around and_"

"Hey," I said with an affronted glare. "I'm not that much shorter than you."

"I know." Wanda was quiet. "I do like living here, I just wish Pietro would be able to share this with me."

I didn't exactly understand, because there was no way I wanted my stepfather or mother anywhere near my real family, but I could imagine where she was coming from.

Therapy was going to seriously cut into my workshop time tonight. Since we couldn't meet up today, Peter and I had worked on our cloaking device during a good part of chemistry (passing notes was risky, but it was like nerd vomit- once we started talking about it, we couldn't stop), all of lunch, and Peter cut his class (photography) during last period so we could finish sketching plans in the library. I had to hold myself back from correcting some of his minor mistakes. He'd catch them later. The major ones, I couldn't bite my tongue from, but I mean, what are partners for, if not to help catch and fix your mistakes?

The rest of my school day was, as usual, terrible. I think the home ec teacher finally caught on to the fact that although I was working in class, I wasn't actually producing anything. It was their fault, really; I'd produced the stupid pincushion and she'd given me a 68 on it. Why would I spend so much time giving my best effort on something that I wasn't going to use and was going to get me a bad grade anyway? So although I tried to get my shaky hands to accurately sew, I didn't turn in any more projects. I'd fail regardless if I tried. My projects ended up stuffed on the top shelf of my locker, which I couldn't see unless I jumped. We were moving on to cooking soon, anyway. Using knives might be a problem...

The only other good thing that happened during school today was that Ellie and I got paired to work together for the capstone project on Life of Pi. Normally, I would have been grumpy about being forced to work with someone else, because I can usually get the work done faster myself. Even in Tempe, I had hated group projects.

But we got to pick how to summarize the book, and Ellie suggested we make a Twitter account for Pi and summarize the book from Pi's point of view. I would have thought it was completely stupid, but then Ellie (for the first time I've seen) started laughing and wrote down, 'Not sure if I'm a tiger or if I just committed cannibalism. FML'. It was juvenile and gruesome, but I couldn't help but laugh too. We spent the rest of the period writing down seeing who could write the most ridiculous tweets. We probably wouldn't get a good grade, as most of it was sarcasm and not all of it was appropriate, but who cared. It was worth it; I don't think I'd laughed that much at school, ever.

So I was in a pretty good mood until I ran to meet Deadpool. For starters, I was still really sore; turns out that not training with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays would be a blessing, not a hinderance. It'd give me some recovery time. Secondly, in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, Nova warned me of a mugger that was coming up behind me too late, and I had to turn around, tackle him, slam his head against the concrete, and then sprint like hell to get away from him. If he'd been prepared for me to attack him instead of run from him, or had friends or a weapon, I'd have had to call my suit or the Avengers, and then my facade would be up. I'd been lucky. Still, it made me sick- I would never forget the sound of his skull slamming the concrete. It was ironic- I could survive this much, and still be scared witless by a common thief and feel terrible about hurting him. Natasha'd be disappointed.

And so was Deadpool, apparently. He'd seen the whole thing, told me it was 'cool' but sloppy, and then we worked on fighting while on the unstable loft, meaning that I kept tripping from loose floorboards and had to jump over pallets and onto crates. It would be useful when I got the hang of it- I wouldn't always be fighting in a gym with an even ground- but right now, it just meant that I spectacularly got my ass handed to me.

So when I met Natasha and chomped down on the peanut butter and banana sandwich she handed me, I wasn't thinking about much else other than how sore I was and how I wanted to get to the workshop and create a 3D plan of the cloaking device with the holo table. But then she mentioned therapy, which I had completely forgotten about.

Bitter and antsy, I took my usual spot on the couch on the Stark floor. The last thing I felt like was lying through my teeth for an hour or so. Dr. Etts hadn't laid out the puzzle games this time, but I hadn't touched them the last few sessions anyway. When he didn't mix them up, I didn't bother to mess with them.

He didn't have his notepad out, either, although the tape recorder, as always, was on the coffee table. Instead, he just sat there and waited. I squirmed. He was looking at me like he knew I'd just been training with a crazy merc. After another minute of him saying nothing, I cleared my throat. "How was your day?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, but his eyes looked calculating. He stuttered for a second, and then sighed. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and folded his hands. "Not well. Your hearing got moved up."

My heart skipped a beat. "Hearing?" I asked, although I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Yes. The one that decides whether Tony can adopt you on the spot, or if CPS takes it to trial."

I briefly considered acting like I didn't care, but knew that I couldn't pull that lie off. "When is it?" I asked, my voice low, cracking.

"Next week." His eyes carefully gauged my reaction.

So I shrugged. "Well, it should be a slam dunk for us, right?"

Etts gritted his teeth, leaned forward, and turned the tape recorder off. I looked at him in alarm. "Normally I wouldn't tell a twelve year old in a custody case this- I could lose my job for telling you this. But as it stands now, over the last few weeks, I can't with a good conscience say that staying here with Tony and the Avengers is a safe or even particularly good environment at all."


	35. Part of the Truth

Natasha made sure that Holly actually got to the Stark floor for her appointment, and gave her a stern warning that therapy wouldn't work unless Holly actually participated. Everyone knew that she wasn't really trying, although no one really understood why. Based on her various training, it was obvious that Holly wasn't afraid of hard work. Right now, everyone was in agreement that it was probably just because of the vast amount of crap Holly had went through; the kid had adapted to her new life fairly quickly. But from experience, Natasha knew that Holly knowing she was safe and Holly actually feeling safe weren't the same thing.

Friday sounded in the elevator. "Coulson's on a vid call- he needs you and Clint immediately," she stated. "Please proceed to the communal living room."

Natasha felt the slight tingling of nerves in her abdomen that she always had before missions. It always happened, no matter how hard the Red Room had tried to turn her into a soulless machine. Coulson needing her and Clint- well, considering Coulson was the acting director of SHIELD, it could only mean one thing.

Their hiatus from missions was over.

Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Steve, and Clint were waiting patiently- or impatiently, in Tony's case- for her. The screen was up, and Coulson was reading a file. The others were standing in a half circle around the screen. He looked up as soon as Natasha walked in.

"Finally," Tony said dramatically. She kidney punched him.

"What do you need us for?" Natasha asked, standing next to Clint as Tony doubled over in pain.

"We've finally gotten a tip about Ajax. He appears to be working with another mutant that has super-strength. Currently, they were last seen in Canada, near Thunder Bay," Coulson answered. "There's no sign of the Winter Soldier, although based on Holly's complete lack of talking about him to you guys or to her therapist, I'd say that he didn't have much to do with it; he might have been working with the other children in the Red Room, or he might have just been in the building."

Steve nodded, looking disappointed. "I told her about Bucky one night, the story about the Howling Commandos- she didn't say anything about knowing him, so I don't think she's met the Winter Soldier. Probably for the best, if we ever find him and can reverse the brainwashing."

No one said anything. Natasha knew that the hope Steve hung on to-that he might get his best buddy back- was just that. Hope.

"When do we leave?" Clint finally asked. "It's just me and Nat going, right?"

"Yes. As soon as you can be ready, go."

Clint turned to Nat, his face solemn, like it always was before missions- at least since he'd had children. He used to joke around. "Do you want to say goodbye to the kid?" He asked.

Natasha made her face as passive as possible. Nothing mattered more than a mission, right? "No." She couldn't help but tell the rest of them, "Tell her not to worry, we love her, and we'll be back in a few weeks at the latest. And I don't know what you guys think, but I wouldn't tell her where we're going. It'd just scare her and make her feel guilty." She nodded towards Tony and Pepper, and she knew by their faces that they would not be telling Holly they were hunting the madman that mutated and tortured her.

"Suit up," Coulson said with a smile.

As Natasha and Clint dashed of, Coulson turned to the rest of them. "I need to talk to you, Tony," he said, sounding grim. He turned to Bruce, Steve, and Pepper. "Um… a little privacy?" he requested politely.

"You didn't put Holly on the Index," Tony half-stated, half-asked, as soon as Pepper, Steve, and Bruce were gone.

"This isn't about the Index. It's about the SHIELD academies. They're being rebuilt, naturally. All three- Communications, Operations, and Science and Technology- they're up and running again."

"I'm not going to give a lecture at Science and Tech again," Tony said, annoyed, sitting on the couch.

"Stark, last time you gave a speech there, you turned up drunk," Coulson stated flatly. Stark wasn't sure whether to cringe or smile at the memory. "I'm here to talk about the prep academy for these three."

"Prep academy?" Tony asked wildly, wracking his brain for any indication of such a thing existing in the SHIELD database.

"What? You think we just randomly get a bunch of eighteen years olds that magically already have superior skills? No. We recruit them from somewhere, Tony." Coulson shifted. "See, we invite students from all over the world to this prep school- it's like a boarding school for kids with those talents that could take them to Communications, Science and Tech, or Operations. Their ages are usually 13-17. They do five years at this school before being drafted to one of the main three academies, if they're good enough. A year of basic, where they get slammed with everything, and then they branch off. Depending on what they're good at."

"You want Holly to attend this SHIELD Agent prep school," Tony stated, disgust etched onto his face. "Go to Hell. I thought you were better than Fury. She's not just a tool for SHIELD."

Coulson have a half snort. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me. For the record, I hope to God that Holly doesn't become like us, Tony. But hear me out. You know that there's something coming. Something bigger than Ultron, than Loki. There's a reason why Thor's been researching the infinity stones since the Ultron Offensive."

Tony swallowed. He knew it, but… damn. He was getting used to sleeping next to Pepper every night, almost completely without nightmares. He was used to having Holly in the workshop next to his. He was used to the Avengers all having meals together and spending time together. But now, it was back to work. "Vacation is officially over now, huh?"

Coulson gave a short laugh. "Say that like you ever took a break. We need as many people prepared for whatever is coming as we can get. And I'm not saying that Holly should go just to get another body in the field- no way- but you and I know that she'll be in the field without your consent when she's eighteen, regardless on how you feel about it. The best thing you can do for her is enroll her, so she's prepared for the fight."

Tony flared his nostrils. It's a good thing that they were having this discussion via video chat, instead of in person.

"The fight might not happen until she's thirty," Coulson said quickly. "Or until we're all too old to fight it. Or it might happen when we're long gone from this earth. It could happen tomorrow, and you'll hide her and Pepper away in some secret bunker your paranoia created. But regardless- if- no, when- it happens, she'll need to be prepared."

"She's training with Black Widow and Captain America," Tony snapped. "I don't think she could get more prepared than that using any curriculum that Fury created."

"Actually, Agent Peggy Carter created it, and we've just tweaked it as the times progressed. And that brings me to my next point," Coulson said loudly. "Natasha just left on a mission, and Captain Rogers could be deployed at any time now. You and I both know the United Nations isn't thrilled with any of us at the current moment. What better leverage to use than your daughter? She needs to get out from under their eye. Have _Haleigh Stone_ go to this school- what better place for her? She'll blend in, just by changing her name. These kids are working on PhDs, on hacking, on becoming masters of fighting styles. She'd thrive there, Tony- alias or not."

Tony just stared at Coulson. He was stubborn, but he knew a good plan when he heard one.

"And there's breaks," he said gently. "She could come home. For weekends, for holidays, for summer vacations. You wouldn't be losing her."

"When would she go?" Tony finally choked out.

"The freshman class at the SHIELD prep academy- we call it Spire Academy, or Spire for short- has an opening. They start in January 2016. She'll need to be tested. Honestly…" Coulson trailed off. "Based on the psych reports I've gotten so far, Spire might not even accept her based on her PTSD diagnosis- and we'll have to be open about all medical issues."

"What type of tests?" Tony heard himself asking.

"Physical, intelligence, mental- she'll need to be psychologically cleared- leadership abilities, social skills," Coulson informed him. "Like I said, they might not even accept her."

"That's why Fury pushed for Holly to go to high school, isn't it?" Tony asked. "To see if she's too socially awkward with other kids to get in."

Coulson inclined his head, but said nothing. Tony knew that he was right. It wasn't about her well-being at all, just another test, the bastard.

"What would they be teaching her?" he asked after a long pause.

"All sorts of things. Weapons, military strategy and history, advanced mathematics and sciences, different types of martial arts, they can pick a doctorate program or two- as long as they can get through the material, they stay in. If they fail, they get booted."

Tony sighed. There'd be kids at her level there. Holly would thrive there, away from the pressure that the Avengers put on her. "Let's see if she can even get in before I make a decision, okay? Submit what data you have on her so far to whoever is in charge of admissions, but make sure you do it under her alias. And don't tell anyone else, not any of the Avengers, and especially not Holly. I don't want her to feel like we're trying to get rid of her or anything. This is a decision she needs to make- if she goes, or doesn't go, it's up to her- but I'm okay with whatever she chooses." Even if I hope she chooses to stay here, he added silently.

 _Etts gritted his teeth, leaned forward, and turned the tape recorder off. I looked at him in alarm. "Normally I wouldn't tell a twelve year old in a custody case this- I could lose my job for telling you this. But as it stands now, over the last few weeks, I can't with a good conscience say that staying here with Tony and the Avengers is a safe or even particularly good environment at all."_

My stomach dropped. I hadn't been lying well enough? "I don't understand," I burst out. "I love my life. School's great, my home life is amazing, and_"

"And you've been lying to me," Etts said bluntly. "Come on- I didn't get three different doctorate degrees just to be tricked by a twelve year old, even if that twelve year old is a genius."

I flushed and pulled my knees to my chest. "You've known I'd been lying since day one, haven't you?"

Etts snorted. "Of course. A lot of children lie. But here's the problem- when you lie, it looks like you've got something to hide. So if I report that you're lying, and you keep saying how much you love your life, it looks like you don't actually like living with Tony. Right now, we go to that hearing and nothing changes, then it's going to go to trial. If that happens… well, let's just say that your father is a good man _now_. But he's made a lot of enemies."

My mouth was dry, and I wanted to run, but it felt like I was frozen to the couch. "Tell me what I need to do," I whispered.

He shrugged. "It's easy. If you want to stay here with Tony, you like him, and feel safe here, then tell me the truth. You don't need to compare it to your old life. You don't need to tell me about the Red Room. Just what's been going on right now." He took a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and handed me it and a pen. "And sign this- it lets me disclose what we've talked about in the sessions to plead your case."

Without reading it, I scrawled my name. It was a good thing that he only wanted to know about now, 'cause there was no way I was telling him anything about the Red Room. The Avengers all knew the basics, so he probably did, too- kidnapped, injected with the stuff, tortured, and trained. But no one knew the details of the torture yet, and I didn't want to tell anyone what the metal-armed man had done to me. If I couldn't even tell Natasha or Tony, how could I tell this guy?

He turned on the tape recorder again and waited. My mind raced.

"I actually really hate school," I blurted out. "Except for Chem, and now I guess, English."

"Why those?" He asked.

"Well, talking about Peter Parker and Chem, that's actually a real thing. We're working on a project for the state science fair. See, if we win, he can go to college for free," I explained. "That's why I'm doing it- I want to help him. His parents are dead, his uncle died, and he lives with his aunt, who loves him, but you know how expensive university is," I shrugged. "I was worried the Avengers would be mad, but they're thrilled about it."

"So that's why you like chem, what about English?" he asked. I had a feeling he was actually genuinely interested.

"I only kinda like English. And I got partnered for a project with someone who hates the book _Life of Pi_ as much as I do," I shrugged again.

"So you like Chem because of your science fair partner, and English a little bit now because of another sort-of friend," he smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. What about the other classes? Why don't you like them?"

"They're boring. I'd rather be doing something that's actually useful instead of sitting there and learning stuff I already know." Well, besides sewing, but it's not like I couldn't learn how to do it, it's that I can't do it, period.

"But why don't you tell Tony and the Avengers you don't like school?"

I shrugged. Figured he'd throw down a hard question thirty seconds in.

"Is it because you feel like you have to go to school, since they asked?" he prompted.

I shook my head, and then I struggled to put it into words. "I don't think it's because I feel pressured into doing it. I mean, school sucks. A lot. And I know they want me to do it. But… it's not because they want me out of their way or they want me to make them look good. It's because…" I trailed off. "I really believe that Tony wants what's best for me, you know? And when I told them about Peter and I entering the science fair, they were happy. Not because they want me to win and make them look good, but because they were happy I was getting along with someone my own age. They… they know I didn't have any friends in Tempe," I admitted, embarrassed.

"So you're willing to put up with school because you trust that they're doing it to help you," Etts clarified.

I nodded. "Yep."

"Anything about your home life now bother you?"

I started to shake my head, but then stopped. He would be able to tell if I lied. "Yeah, actually. I don't like it when they leave. Not just Tony- any of them. For missions, I mean, not just like going to the grocery store. I mean, they've only been gone once since Sokovia_" I clenched my jaw shut, not sure if I could tell him about the monolith.

"Is it because you're worried about them?"

I got up and started pacing. I couldn't why I felt so antsy all of the sudden. "Yeah, but that's not it. It's like…" I gestured with my hands hopelessly for a second before my mouth finally caught up with my mind. "I hate feeling like they're protecting me. I'm not used to it. When Tony and Pepper read me those exercises, or when they nag me to eat vegetables or Tony carries me to bed when I fall asleep in the workshop- it's like I'm embarrassed. It's weird to know that people care about you enough to do nice things for you without it benefiting them. I've never had that before, and I don't get it."

If I hadn't been staring directly at him, I would have missed his eyebrows raising slightly. It was the first time he'd ever shown any sign of surprise.

"And your mother and stepfather never did things like that?"

"I thought we didn't have to talk about Tempe?" I challenged, my expression flat.

"You're right," he agreed. "So_"

"No, they never took care of me like that. I mean, it wasn't _awful_ until my stepfather came into the picture. But like I can't remember my mom ever tucking me in or any of the crap you see in movies. Probably a good thing. So it didn't suck as much when she did hate me." I scoffed, preparing for the cliche line of him telling me my mother didn't hate me. What do therapists know? It wasn't his blood that stained the carpet.

"So did you feel strong negative emotions toward your mother when her and your stepfather got involved and her attitude toward you changed?"

I sent him a glare that rivaled the one Pepper gave me when I tried to skip out on eating my green beans a few days ago. "What do you think?" I snarled. I didn't want to talk about this anymore. Not when I'd spent so long trying not to remember the first time I'd met my stepfather. I turned to walk out.

But four steps into my plan, I knew if I walked out now I was screwing my chances of that hearing going well. So instead I walked over to the fridge.

"I'm getting water," I called behind me, glad he couldn't see my face. "You want one?"

"No, but thanks," I heard Dr. Etts say calmly. I chugged the water and threw the plastic bottle into the recycling bin before dragging myself back to the couch and perching on the edge.

"What, in your opinion, is the biggest difference between your experiences in Tempe and your current life with the Avengers?"

"Besides the Avengers actually caring about me?" I asked him. "Because that's the biggest one- an adult actually cares about me."

He shrugged. "Sure, the second biggest difference."

I wracked my brain before the obvious answer hit me. "Food. Even before my stepfather came into the picture, I don't think I'd ever had enough to eat in my life before Tony took me in. Never had much money."

He nodded, wrote something down, checked my chart. "You don't seem to have gained a lot of weight since you've been here, according to Dr. Banner and Foster's notes. Some, but you're still slightly underweight."

I shrugged. "I was getting close to normal weight. Then the Red Room happened, I hit a mega growth spurt, Sokovia happened, I was in the hospital, and now I'm here. It's not for lack of them trying, they don't stop nagging me about it. To be honest, if it weren't for them reminding me and packing me food and having family dinners and stuff, I would go nearly a day before I actually remembered. I learned to shut off hunger a while ago," I finished quietly.

"Why do you eat when the Avengers tell you to?" He asked. "According to psych reports from your tenure in the hospital after your TBI, you didn't when the nurses did."

I fought back a smile. I knew where this was going, how this would help him make his case to CPS. And it felt great to tell the truth. "Because I know they care about me. They aren't strangers. Tony is my father, the Avengers are basically aunts and uncles, and Pepper…" I trailed off. "We're all a family. It helps that I'm not the only damaged one. Like, Wanda is grieving for Pietro, and we try to help her. We take care of one another. Like a real family."

He was nodding with a small smile on his face. I smiled back. "Holly…" he hesitated. I immediately dropped my smile. "You don't have to answer, since it's about Tempe. But I'm curious- how did you function? When you were starving in Tempe. The level at which you came to Tony at… well, you were so emanciated…" he trailed off, looking nervous. "How did you mentally manage, being at that level of starvation?"

I looked out the window, biting my lip, wondering what to tell him. Not how I obtained food. If Tony and Pepper knew what I did… they'd kick me out. No one wants a twelve year old delinquent.

But how did I function? You don't. Every waking moment was consumed with thoughts of eating, and most dreams too. Instead of the metal armed man, I had dreams of walking out of a supermarket with bags of food. But then the bag would split; the fruit rolled everywhere, the bread would be smashed, the eggs would break… and like an animal, I was so hungry I'd try to eat it off the ground before my mother or stepfather would show up in the dream and beat me senseless for stealing food. Then I'd wake up and be hungrier than before. It wasn't a nightmare, not like these.

So no, you don't function when you're starving. You distract yourself. Which is part of the reason why I was able to rip through high school with such a laser focus- it was a means of distraction and a means of survival.

A flash of red and blue caught my eye. It looked humanoid and was… crawling… up a building. What? But it went around a corner and was gone. I blinked rapidly, wondering if I'd imagined it.

"Holly? Are you with me?" Dr. Etts asked. I'd been staring off into space.

"Um…" What had his question been? Oh, yeah. "I guess it wasn't really functioning. It was… surviving. I did whatever I could to survive." I moved back over and say on the couch.

"How do you feel here? Do you think you're just surviving?"

I thought about sparring with Deadpool earlier. "Nah," I said. "Here it's kind of… it's like I'm a real person. I'm allowed- no, encouraged- to have future plans and goals. And Tony'd help me achieve them. Any of them would, really." I laughed nervously before blurting out, "It's hard to get used to the fact that I'm a real person now."

He cocked his head to the side. "Can you explain that?"

I was starting to warm up to the conversation now, and I shifted so now I sat on the couch with my legs criss crossed under me. "Well, in Tempe I didn't matter to anyone. My mom and stepfather would talk me up to whoever would listen 'cause it was impressive I'm a genius, right? But they didn't care about _me_. They couldn't tell you what I liked to do, or what my favorite color was, or whatever. Tony could tell you what my favorite screwdriver is in the workshop. Does that make sense?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it does, and I'm really glad to hear that."

"You know, I still have no idea why they like me. Tony, sure, I'm biologically related to him. But I'm not good enough at sparring or anything like that to be useful to the other Avengers, and they already have Tony to build them tech." I frowned. "Natasha, I kind of get because she can't have kids, so maybe she just likes kids in general."

Etts laughed. "I can't help you answer that one, Holly. You'll have to learn that on your own."

I shrugged, and he turned the tape recorder off, indicating that our time was up. Maybe the Avengers were telling him I was more useful than I really was, even if they wouldn't let me fight and Natasha and Wanda kicked my butt.


	36. A Friend

The rest of the week was mentally and physically strenuous.

Creating a cloaking device wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. By Friday, Peter and I weren't even halfway done with the calculations yet, and many of them I didn't even know how to do off the top of my head. Even with me working during gym class and staying after school on occasion with Peter, we weren't making progress. At least I knew which materials I'd have to snag from the storeroom, or order. The biggest problem was what could power it- I had the technology, the arc reactor, but I couldn't show Peter that I knew how to build one, or get access to the gem of Stark Tech.

I missed Clint and Natasha a lot. No one told me what their mission was- apparently, no one but Steve actually knew, since he was the team leader and all, but of course he wouldn't tell me. He couldn't tell me when they'd be back, either, although they told me that I wasn't allowed to get worked up about it unless they were gone longer than a month. A month was forever. However, Tony and Steve assured me that if necessary, we could contact them; but that'd blow their mission, since I guess it was super stealthy.

Since Natasha wasn't here, Steve took me to school. I enjoyed the time talking about whatever latest pop culture thing he'd discovered, but it wasn't the same as Natasha; we didn't really talk about anything deep, because he didn't press me, and I wasn't going to offer any information willingly. As for training, I didn't spar with Steve, just still worked out, so I was glad that I got the sparring with Deadpool so I wouldn't get out of practice.

Deadpool was… well, rude, obnoxious, and infuriating. But I was learning from him. Instead of just practicing moves, we fought brutal skirmishes that left me drained and aching. He was making me learn to think on my feet, to plan ahead, and to use my environment as a tool to help defeat my enemies. Like a puzzle. And to my relief, I was actually better at this than drilling with Natasha, because I was good at being innovative, and because the fight wasn't directly an outcome of skill or size.

We were beating the hell out of the warehouse though. Especially after I'd made a beam fall on him.

I did my absolute best against Deadpool, without holding back. It made me sick to my stomach to see his blood and to feel and hear the bones break. But I had to give it my all- I couldn't pull punches like Natasha and I did. He demanded my best effort, not in words but in the way he constantly put pressure on me. If I didn't want to get hurt, I had to hurt him first. It gave me the creeps, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was back in Tempe, getting abused- but this time actually fighting back against my opponent.

How could I defeat a monster without becoming one? I didn't want to kill anybody, but I had to stop Francis from hurting anybody else...

Although I gave my all against Deadpool, I knew he was holding back from really hurting me. He actually admitted it. But it was for a good reason, not just because I was a child; I couldn't go walking about with visible bruises everywhere, or break a bone; we'd get found out. Besides, he beat me up enough even when he held back.

After he told me his reason for not completely kicking my butt, I mentioned the hearing, and that I had to look okay for that. Deadpool was oddly angry on my and Tony's behalf about the trouble with Child Protective Services and he casually offered to kill them. I figured that coming from Deadpool, that was practically an 'I love you'.

But I couldn't count the Merc as a friend. Friends were nice to each other, and Deadpool was a jerk- always mocking me, belittling me, or insulting the Avengers. And even if he wasn't a jerk, I don't think I'd like him. He argued out loud with himself constantly and kept talking about how his 'favorite girl' was Death. He'd once proudly stated proudly,'As soon as I die we'll be together,' before starting to hysterically laugh. The weirdo literally thought he could date Death. Deadpool scared the wits out of me, as much as I didn't want to admit it.

Deadpool announced at the end of our Friday training session that he was sick of practicing fighting; it was time for me to actually go out and do it, warning me that he'd only step in if it looked like I was going to get killed. "I mean, there's plenty of thieves, pedophiles, and murderers lurking around Hell's Kitchen," he'd explained enthusiastically. "Let's get em!" Then he informed me that he'd expect me to sneak out of the tower Monday night and meet him here instead of right after school, then we'd go catch the bad guys. He suddenly didn't seem to care that the trial was Wednesday.

"What's the mission?" I asked cautiously. "I am not sneaking out of the Tower just to catch a burglar."

He tilted his head and then did the weird thing where he talked to himself. "No! I am not going to tell her. It's the surprise! Who cares if it scares her?" He paused a moment, shook his head, and then scoffed. "Fine." Finally turning to me, he told me casually, "We're busting a child trafficking ring. I saw a guy taking a kid, probably about fourteen, from her bus stop the other week. I followed him and located the warehouse that they're probably keeping them all in." He got close to my face. "Is that worth it to you, Princess?"

I took a step back, ice settling in my stomach, undisguised horror on my face. "Worth it? Yes! Should I be the one taking care of it? No! Why on earth wouldn't you report it to the police?" I exclaimed.

Deadpool shook his head and kicked a hole through a rotting crate. "The police are probably some of their biggest customers."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Then I'll tell the Avengers, they'll_"

"I thought you didn't run off to daddy when things went wrong?" Deadpool mocked, putting his face about a foot from mine. "It's your 'mission'. You have to do it. Or are you going to chicken out and let those poor children continue to be exploited?"

I glared at him, not backing away from his masked face, and snapped, "Of course I'm not backing out. I'm in."

But when he'd caught my terrified expression after I turned away (mostly there because of the Avengers' fury if they found out I'd snuck out at night to Hell's Kitchen, during the day was bad enough), he assured me that I was ready. "And I don't just say that to be nice, Princess. You learn pretty fast." Weirdly, I felt pretty proud as I ran to meet Steve after that.

Although his training was helping me, Deadpool's training, emotionally and physically, hurt. My dreams took place in the warehouse now, fighting Deadpool, fighting Francis, fighting my stepfather, fighting myself… I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't had a nightmare. Tony, with Pepper's insisting, set it so that Friday would tell them if I woke up from a nightmare in the night, and either him or Pepper would take me through the relaxation exercises until I fell back asleep- or rather, pretended to sleep.

I'd overheard an argument they'd had about it- Tony wanted to just let me cope by doing what I needed to do- meaning read Fury's books, build something, or beat up a punching bag- but Pepper insisted that I should try to do what Etts said, and Tony relented when she brought up the CPS hearing.

I felt so bad that they had an argument because of me that I didn't even protest, just went along with it and pretended to fall back asleep.

But the lack of sleep was beginning to take a toll on me, more so than being too frightened of my stepfather to sleep in Tempe. I knew Deadpool's training made it worse, because he was actually hurting me. But the training style was nevertheless effective, so who cared if I couldn't sleep at night anymore and instead just slept through a majority of my classes?

Wanda was… well, I couldn't call Wanda a friend, even though she didn't end up ratting me out to Jane about me getting sick. We didn't do things that friends did; we didn't hang out or anything outside of training, but now we talked about all sorts of stuff during it. I'd accidentally admitted to her that I usually pretended to fall back asleep because I felt bad that Tony or Pepper- usually both- sacrificed sleep when I woke up in the middle of the night. When no one said anything to me about it, meaning that she hadn't told anyone, I knew that I could trust Wanda. So not a friend, not a parent figure, but maybe like an older sister?

I didn't know, and didn't care. It was just nice to know that someone else didn't mind me constantly being underfoot in the headquarters for the world's mightiest heroes, since I was almost positive that Vision didn't like me and Bruce was still bitter about Sokovia. Vision was probably still irritated that I'd disabled him when he was Jarvis. He wasn't around enough for me to ask.

Unfortunately, Wanda and I being friendly to each other was sort of a problem.

I could convince her to let me do things that the other Avengers would never agree to, and since they trusted Wanda to be responsible when training me, they usually weren't down in the gym watching us.

So Saturday night, when Pepper and Tony had gone on a date, Bruce was in his lab with Vision, Thor and Jane were in Asgard again, Steve was hanging out with Sam, and Wanda and I were in the gym. I was allowed to be in the gym training without one of the Avengers, since apparently Wanda counted as supervision for me. Odd, since she was only about five years older.

And before we'd even started warm up, I'd convinced Wanda to verse me in an all-out sparring match, not only using our powers, but also our physical fighting abilities. And the Avengers weren't there to tell us what a dumb idea it was. I'd never sparred with Wanda before. Natasha trained me; Steve trained her. For physical training, they switched. This added interest- our fighting styles were different. So I figured that although Wanda undoubtedly had tricks up her sleeve, I had Natasha's training, Deadpool's training, and Nova's input through my glasses (the cursor contacts were now fully functional, and I had added cameras so Nova could see behind me and mics so I could verbally give commands as well).

So when Wanda finally agreed to fight me, all out, I was worried about hurting her.

I should have been worried about protecting my own ass. I should have known that Steve and Natasha didn't have Wanda and I spar with each other for a reason.

The first time we went at each other, she completed kicked my butt. Her stupid mutation might not work perfectly against me, but it worked pretty well. We still shocked each other when we made physical contact, but this didn't hinder her mind-altering powers, and I had to fight her while holding back memories of Tempe and the Red Room.

"That's cheating," I cried out when I had finally had enough, when I was kneeling on the mats with my eyes shut tight and my hands over my ears to stop myself from seeing and hearing my stepfather. As soon I'd cried out, the vision dissipated.

"You think I'm cheating, Stark?" She asked with disgust, helping me to my feet. "The rest of the world isn't going to follow the rules when they come for you. You do whatever you can to defend yourself and beat your opponent. Or maybe just go ask your father or Natasha to defend you- hide behind them-"

I was so sick of Deadpool saying that stuff, that when Wanda said it I snapped. Blinded by rage, I went in again. But it wasn't exactly blinded- I was thinking logically, I could make good decisions, but my anger definitely increased my mutation abilities.

I could feel the particles better than ever before, even better than the Red Room and Sokovia, and then I understood (and felt pretty dumb about not realizing it before) that I wasn't creating new things; I was increasing or decreasing the speed of the particles, which caused the properties of whatever element or compound I was manipulating to change as well. Then I could move them- like telekinesis, but not really, because it was the particles, the energy, not the object. My epiphany immediately distracted me- I could slow chunks of particles down, make it solid, and then I bet that I could use them as a ladder to climb- but I was too pissed off to do that now.

Between my mutation being on overdrive and Deadpool's training, I was able to back Wanda into a corner, cause sharp ice pics to materialize and zing them at her, and then she was distracted, deflecting them at me, Nova was able to project where they'd hit me and I could dodge-

While she was distracted, I grabbed her throat with one hand and slammed her against the wall, then with my left hand channeled the anger I was feeling. Like my repulsor, it lit up.

"Fury_ smells_" she choked out. It was the Avengers' code word instead of uncle.

I immediately let go, came to my senses, and felt awful about what I had just done. The light from my hand instantly faded. I had hurt her. Then I realized- although I had tried to lift her up, I wasn't strong enough. Her feet had still been on the floor.

Wanda bent over, hands on her needs, panting, tired. "You really were holding back."

I didn't answer at first, watching for any sign that she might be faking this fatigue, that I would have to jump in and fight again. It was obvious she wasn't going to attack me again. "I'm sorry I hurt you," I told her sincerely, even as I watched for a trap.

"It didn't hurt that bad, don't be sorry." She was quiet as she straightened up and massaged her neck. "I'm sorry about showing you your past," she told me after a minute, putting her hand on my shoulder. Weirdly, it didn't shock me, even though my cuffs were still blinking green. Maybe because we weren't trying to hurt each other. "I wanted to know if it worked against you now, since it didn't during the Ultron Offensive." She was quiet, and I knew she was thinking about Pietro.

"I finally figured out my mutation, I think," I told Wanda, trying to distract her. "Watch this."

Almost easily, now that I understood, I focused on slowing down the air particles in front of me. I didn't have to use my hands; I could see faint white mist appear in the shape of a narrow, crude staircase. Tentatively I placed my foot onto the first step. It held my weight. Excited now, I scrambled up the rest of them until I was about ten feet off the ground. "No one can call me short now," I laughed at Wanda's astonished face.

"How did you_?"

"I change the particle speed, not the object," I explained. "The ice earlier, I just slowed down the water vapor in the air." I grinned smugly.

Wanda cautiously tried to step on the first stair. Her foot went through, and there was a zapping sound and a few sparks. She hastily pulled her foot back, grimacing. "Looks like you're the only one that can step on it, though," Wanda said. "At least when it comes to manipulating air particles."

I shrugged. "Good. Hey, check this out!" Concentrating again, I slowed the air particles around me down- not enough to make a solid, but enough to give it liquid properties- and jumped, praying I wasn't wrong.

My theory worked. I didn't float down, but I definitely wasn't falling as fast as gravitational laws would make me. The impact on my knees and ankles wasn't hard.

I crossed my arms and grinned smugly at her. "Between this and De- all of your guys' training, no one is ever going to hurt me again." I pumped my fist and leaned my head back. Send Francis after me again. Show me the metal armed man. I would take 'em.

She had a funny expression on her face as she crossed her arms. I wondered why until she asked, "You really had a rough time in Tempe, didn't you?"

My enthusiasm faded and I felt my expression darken. I didn't answer for a long moment, trying to decide what to say. Trying to decide if I did want Wanda as a friend, or if I'd rather keep her as an acquaintance. Finally, I decided on something like the truth. "Yeah, I did. They probably already told you, but my stepfather and mother abused and neglected me for years."

"They didn't tell me your story," Wanda contradicted. "They said they it was yours to tell the details of, and they only told me that you only met Tony in June and had been kidnapped before Ultron happened."

I was glad that they hadn't told Wanda the details. But not so I could hide- for some reason, I wanted to tell her myself. After all, she was family too… right?

"Okay, then. Well… so I was in pretty bad shape. In Tempe, I mean. The world is set up for adults with money, and my mom and stepfather didn't have much of it. What they did have, they spent it on themselves. The school provided resources for my education- a laptop, textbooks, notebooks, that sort of stuff, but like clothes and food- forget it. My mom fed me occasionally. Not enough. I…" I hesitated. I didn't want to admit that I'd stolen food, that I was a criminal. The other Avengers didn't know that yet, and although I didn't think Wanda would go and tell them, I didn't want to risk it.

"They beat up on me a lot. I probably deserved it," I told her, trying to make a joke."Besides being a genius, I wasn't a great kid. It… the abuse… got a lot worse when my mother died last December. I'm talking locked up in the dark for… I'm not exactly sure how long at a time." I paused, trying not to think of the memories that I'd spent so long ignoring. "My stepfather wouldn't sign the papers that would allow me into college. I'm too young to go without parental consent, since I'd have to live in the dorms. He didn't do it because he loved me and wanted me around, he did it to be an asshole." I gave a short, humorless laugh before adding, "It's rude being alive when no one wants you."

Wanda was quiet and sat down on the mats. I did the same, drawing my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. "Well, you're wanted here," Wanda said, gesturing at the gym. "So that's when you ran?"

I didn't want to tell her the other part, where he had tried to touch me. "Basically. I ran away, got from Tempe to Malibu and tried to blackmail Tony into paying for my tuition. I knew he was my father- my mother never spoke highly of him, and my stepfather always bitched about having to 'provide' for me." I snorted. "But obviously, the blackmail plan backfired. He told me that he would, no problem, but he wanted me to stay for the summer to make sure I was taken care of since the program didn't start 'till fall. And then I got close with him, and the Avengers, realized that they wanted me around, and I told Tony I wanted to wait or take online courses. Then the Red Room and Ultron happened," I scowled.

Wanda was looking at me funny again. "What?" I snapped.

"You made your way from Tempe to Malibu by yourself?" she asked, sounding impressed.

I shrugged. "Yeah. I had to."

She gave a short laugh. "I used to hate your dad, you know," she told me.

I grinned. "So did I. I hacked my laptop so it blocked any mention of him. He was the Merchant of Death. I didn't want to know how many people he'd killed. It was a shock when I got here and met the real guy."

"I thought, when I met you, that I'd hate you too, that you'd spent your life living in luxury in Stark's penthouse." She was quiet for a minute. I had to fight to stop myself from asking her if she still hated me. Finally, she said, "I wish I was right."

"That you hated me?" I asked, shocked that she'd been that blunt.

"No, that you did spend your life comfortably."

I felt awkward. Wanda didn't even really know me, and she obviously hadn't had a great childhood either. "Well, um, thanks."

"Are you nervous for the hearing on Wednesday?" She asked suddenly. I stiffened. No one had outright asked me that- probably because Natasha was gone, and she was the only one that asked me the hard questions- and to be honest, I thought it was a really dumb question. Of course I was nervous. I had answered all of Etts' questions honestly and completely at the sessions this week, and he acted like it was going to be enough to convince the judge, but I couldn't help but be skeptical. Especially when he started to dig deeper into what I had done before my stepfather and mother would hurt me.

What if the judge decided I was so terrible, that combined with my mutant powers I should be in prison? I could run if they tried to put me in a foster home, but breaking out of jail? I was no Sirius Black.

"Holly?" Wanda asked when I didn't answer. "You shouldn't be nervous," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. It zapped me, and I flinched, but didn't cry out. "Friday, activate Holly's bangles," Wanda called casually. "I think that when you get upset or anxious, your mutation is more active and it reacts badly with mine."

When I wasn't in danger, any of the Avengers could activate or deactivate my bangles now. I'd insisted they be able to for training purposes. But I still wasn't able to. Or so they thought- Nova could, on my command, if I wasn't being 'unreasonable'. Aka, if I needed to use them against Deadpool.

"I wonder why?" I mused. "And I've definitely figured out a lot of the science behind why I can do what I do- but Wanda, why do I… explode? When I get upset?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You're the teacher," I said, half joking, half actually irritated.

"You're the scientist. You tell me."

I grinned at being called a scientist. "Well… whenever I get angry or upset is when I explode. And if my mutation is changing the speed of particles- maybe when I get mad, my own particles increase- the ones I'm actually made of. The electric ones. And if it increased too much, I would die, probably." I rubbed my temple, thinking back to the Red Room, when I'd exploded and killed a man. "It probably has to do with the electrical energy that everyone has- you know, how neurons fire. Maybe it's a natural defense mechanism for my mutation- my body throws out the extra energy, because if it didn't, I'd die. If you aren't in the 'blast zone' it probably just throws electric impulses out- which is why I was able to snap the Avengers out of your hallucination. And the bangles work… well, by putting the bangles on, it interrupts the field around me, right? Makes me normal." I nodded, satisfied by my explanation. It made sense. "And you know what? I bet we react badly because my mutation's working with kinetic energy at a molecular level and yours is electromagnetic. That's why you rock at telekinesis and I can make things go boom. When you do your thing, you charge particles around you, and when I do my thing, it interrupts that. So we get shocked."

Wanda stared at me. "Yeah. That makes sense, she finally said. "Wow. You're twelve, and I'm seventeen, and I don't understand half of what you just said." She shook her head and chuckled. "But back on topic."

I squirmed, not wanting to talk about the hearing, and she touched my shoulder again, but I pulled away. "You really don't have anything to worry about with the hearing, Holly. Stark is a different man with you around. Everyone says it. Pepper says it's even more so than after he became Iron Man." She gave a half smile. "And I think you've suffered enough. You deserve to at least have this worry off your plate."

"We all suffered to get where we are now," I snapped, suddenly angry. I wasn't sure why. Francis's words came back to me, and I shuddered as I used them. "Super powers aren't acquired painlessly. And besides that, no one's lives have been a picnic." I picked at my cuticles as I listed off, "Tony's dad ignored him and both his parents died in a car crash before their time, Steve is out of his time, Bruce, well, you can guess what happened, Pepper has to deal with Tony and me, Thor's had to fight his own brother, Clint and Nat… well, I don't know if you know their backstory, so they can tell you. but Nat's was probably the hardest of anyone's. Or maybe just hard in a different way. I don't know." I was quiet. A nail bed started bleeding before I finally asked, "So I told you my story. What's yours?" I looked up.

Wanda stared straight at the wall. I was suddenly very sorry that I'd asked, but she started to speak. "When I was ten, a mortar shell hit the apartment building that my family lived in," she said quietly. I remembered Wanda telling me, on our trip back from the market, that it was a Stark Industries weapon. "It killed everyone but Pietro and I. Another one landed nearby, but it didn't go off. At the time, I was wishing it had. We were trapped with my parents' dead bodies, for two days, with the unexploded shell that had 'Stark Industries' printed on it."

I looked down, not knowing if I should apologize or just shut up and let her keep talking. I decided on the latter, and she continued.

"Pietro and I, we hated America, and Stark, and then the Avengers, once they came into existence. We dedicated our childhood to finding out how to take them down. And then, we were approached by a Hydra scientist. He said that he could give us powers, abilities that would help end the war in Sokovia."

I looked back at her as she choked off the last word. A solitary tear was running down her cheek. "I didn't want to, but Pietro… he convinced me. I should have insisted that we didn't…" she trailed off.

"You can't change what's happened," I finally said, when it became clear that she wasn't going to say anything else. Her eyes bored into mine. I glared right back. "What? You can't. It's impossible. You and Pietro were experimented on and got your powers, you fought for Ultron, saw that the Avengers aren't all bad, even if my dad can be an idiot, and devoted yourself to saving the world." I was getting sick of her glaring at me, so I decided to wrap it up. "And that, Maximoff, is something honorable. You are defending people that cannot defend themselves. Ultimately? The Avengers' job is to protect the entire Earth. And they're not just letting you in, they want you in. And you can do good."

Wanda slowly nodded. "I still wish Pietro was here with me," she blurted out.

"And that's okay." I paused, trying to think of what else to say. I had too many problems to give advice to anyone else.

"I have a sort of family here," she mentioned, trying to smile. "So do you. But biological."

"Yeah. And hey, you have Vision now." I wasn't sure exactly what was going on with those two, but they spent a lot of time together. I wondered how you could be friends with an AI, then I remembered Nova and understood.

"Yeah, I do," she smiled. "Who would have known that someone so small would have such good advice?"

I rolled my eyes. "Genius, remember? Come on, Maximoff. Let's go order pizza and then watch Game of Thrones or whatever pop culture TV show you like."

"You're just saying that because you want to watch Game of Thrones, and they won't let you watch it because it's inappropriate for a twelve-year-old."

"The main characters last names are Stark, how bad could it be?" I argued as we climbed onto the elevator. The Avengers got together to watch it when I was at school or after I went to bed, apparently. I was pretty salty when I found out that they weren't going to invite me due to my age.

"Steve had to cover his eyes, the PDA was that inappropriate."

I shrugged. "Steve gets embarrassed when Tony and Pepper kiss in public."

"Thor screamed like a little girl once and threw popcorn everywhere. The God of Thunder was appalled."

I thought for a moment. "Oh."

So I didn't get to watch Game of Thrones, but we did end up watching She's The Man, which neither of us had ever seen before. It made me want to try out for the soccer team, but then I remembered that if I tried out for the soccer team at school then I'd have to talk to people. Besides, with my head injury, no one would let me. I didn't have time, anyway, with training and the science fair.

When Tony and Pepper came home, they found me demonstrating my glasses to Wanda. She was impressed, but found that the different types of perspective gave her motion sickness.

"But it's useful- to see behind you, I mean, not watch Netflix," I argued, not realizing that Tony and Pepper had come in.

She took them off, laughing, and handed them to me. I put them on. The back camera's view in the left lense showed me Tony creeping behind me a split second before he grabbed me.

"Argh!" I half- yelped, half-laughed as Tony held me upside down, carried me over to the couch, and then unceremoniously dropped me onto it as Pepper and Wanda chuckled.

"May need to recalibrate those, squirt, since I was able to sneak up on you," Tony joked as I sat up.

"They totally would have worked if Maximoff hadn't been hogging them," I kidded back. "Did you guys have fun on your date?" I asked seriously. I was worried- they'd given each other the cold shoulder since their fight about what to do for my nightmares.

"As always," Pepper said with a smile, and kissed Tony on the cheek. I relaxed. It was weird to see two adults respect and treat each other kindly like this. I was just too used to my mom and stepdad arguing. Thor and Jane weirded me out too, but I never really saw Bruce and Natasha showing PDA at least.

"What did you guys do?" Wanda chimed in.

"Dinner, walked around for a bit," Tony said easily.

"Not that we don't like being around you guys, but we needed some time for ourselves, for our relationship," Pepper added. I wondered how she knew what I was thinking.

"Yep. So, I see you guys didn't break my tower. How was your night?"

"We trained, ordered pizza, watched a movie, and then Holly showed me her glasses. Or as she named them, her 'Tricked-Out Specs'."

I grinned shamelessly. "We took pizza to Bruce and cleaned up the gym and kitchen," I added. I was glad Wanda didn't mention that we'd gotten one healthy pizza for Bruce, ordered dessert pizza for ourselves, and sparred during training.

"You ready for bed?" Tony asked me.

I glanced at the time. Almost midnight. I sighed. "I guess so."

"Get ready, we'll meet you there," Pepper told me.

"Okay," I surrendered. It'd been a good evening. But reliving my past to Wanda- I'd basically signed up for a killer nightmare. I was glad I had, though. Because now, there was no doubt in my mind- I had a friend.

The three watched as Holly got into the elevator. Wanda went to get a water bottle from the fridge. "She give you any trouble?" Tony asked, hoping she sounded casual.

"No, I told you guys not to worry. She was fine. She'd probably have been fine alone," Wanda said.

Tony nodded. Good. "Unfortunately, with us being active for missions again, it might be happening more and more. I'm glad you guys had a good time."

"Yeah, although your kid can talk the paint off the wall when she wants to," Wanda laughed.

"I told you she'd convince you to order the dessert pizza," Tony laughed, loosening his tie. "Be honored- she wouldn't have asked if she didn't like you. She'd be weirdly polite." Guess she can make friends that aren't adults, he thought to himself. He made a mental note to tell Coulson. It was a step, anyway


	37. The Defenders: Part One

It turns out there is more to being a vigilante than just fighting skills, and of course Deadpool left me to figure out all of the logistics by myself, only telling me that I was not allowed 'be a little bitch' and bring an Iron Man suit.

The first problem was actually getting out of Stark Tower in the middle of the night. Half the people in the tower never seemed to sleep, and the other half woke up immediately at the slightest noise or inconsistency. Not to mention Friday would probably scream the Tower down. There was no way I'd be able to just walk out of Stark Tower.

It wasn't until the night of that I made my plan. Part of the procrastination came from guilt. The Avengers didn't seem to want anything from me other than my safety and my happiness. Or maybe I subconsciously hoped that because I was waiting until the last minute to plan, I'd forget something, and they'd catch me sneaking back in and I'd tell them what I was doing. It'd feel good to not have to keep this from them. And after I told them that I'd busted a child trafficking ring, they would see that I could go on missions too, and didn't need to wait until I grew up.

Or they'd kick me out for disobeying them, so I suppose I'd better make the best plan possible.

As soon as Pepper and Tony left the room, thinking I was asleep, I began to plan. First step- getting out of the tower without getting caught. Disabling Friday for a few hours wouldn't be difficult- it wouldn't be a total shutdown, like the day I met Tony, but instead just making it so Friday thought I was still in my room, sleeping. I quietly reached out my hand and snagged my glasses, turned them on, and blinked rapidly until the display stopped burning my retinas. Then, with Nova's help, I hacked Friday. It took an hour- Tony had improved security since I'd easily shut down Jarvis, and this was much more difficult, because I had to do it without Friday or Tony realizing that she'd been hacked. But once I was satisfied that the hack was complete, Friday was picking up a loop of the same two minutes of me lying down if anyone looked, and the same loop of heart rate and respiration counts. Not that I thought that anyone was watching me sleep on camera, but Friday was watching, and she was the one that would be alerting people. I was pretty confident that I'd tricked Friday, actually- she didn't say anything, like I figured she would if she knew something was poking around in her coding.

I breathed a sigh of relief and slid out of bed, trying to move noiselessly. I didn't think they'd check my room. They knew I was a light sleeper and wouldn't want to wake me by checking on me; they relied on their technology to tell them if I wasn't sleeping.

But there was still the fact that even without Friday alerting anyone, I would likely run into someone. At least Natasha was gone, or the likelihood of me getting to Hell's Kitchen would be zero. I couldn't just walk out the front door. There wasn't any way I could go up to the roof and climb down. Couldn't fly, either, the risk of someone seeing my suit was too great.

What would the Avengers do to get out in an emergency? There were fire exits, of course, but the Avengers wouldn't use them. Tony'd fly out, Bruce would Hulk out and smash his way out, Thor'd knock down an outside wall, grab Jane and do his weird hammer helicopter move to escape, and Clint… Clint would get to the roof and take a QuinJet, with Natasha, probably. But how would he get there if the stairs were blocked? Hawkeye and Black Widow wouldn't be beaten by a mundane thing like a fire. Clint would…

My eyes fell on the cover of the heating vent, barely a foot lower than the ceiling. They were industrial sized, due to the size of the tower. Clint's words from the Ultron Offensive came back to me- he told me to check out the vents on the helicarrier, because they were awesome. And no one had thought it was weird. So that meant that Clint usually travelled through vents.

And Tony had custom made Stark Tower with the Avengers in mind.

Once I thought it, it seemed like the only logical way. Based on the vent cover, the ducts were big enough to move through. I could travel through the vents to get to the bottom of the tower, then I could exit the tower without the Avengers seeing me and head to Hell's Kitchen, which would be a cakewalk compared to sneaking past my family.

The next problem was that besides my suit, I had nothing to cover my face. Although Deadpool had told me not to wear a superhero 'costume', meaning my suit, knew that I couldn't waltz into there with my blonde hair and glasses and expect that to be fine. Any picture or camera in the city could pick it up and I'd find myself on the morning news, and whether people recognized Haleigh Stone or Holly Stark would be a moot point when the Avengers found out what I'd done.

I hadn't felt this guilty about something since I let my mother drink herself to death. But I didn't think Deadpool would save the kids if I didn't show. If I didn't, then who would? And besides- one day, I _would_ be an Avenger. What if the training Deadpool was putting me through gave me the skills I'd use to one day save a family member's life?

As long as I didn't get hurt, they'd never find out what I was doing. And as soon as Francis was taken care of, I was through with Deadpool. Through with lying.

After dressing in grey cargo pants and a black long-sleeved compression shirt, I looked in the mirror, something I still normally didn't do. Especially when I didn't have the Haleigh Stone nanomask on, like now. The scars reminded me of everything I was trying not to think about.

I scrutinized the long scar on my jaw from getting slashed by my stepfather, the skinny one below my eye from my mother's fake nails, and the short but thick one that went through my hairline by my temple from my head getting slammed on the kitchen counter. I slumped my shoulders, and my reflection did the same. These scars, and the ones hidden by my clothes, didn't even come close to the ones that I had on my brain.

But were they really even scars if they were still bleeding?

I'd thought they were closed, when I realized the Avengers liked me and probably wouldn't hurt me unless I was really awful. I'd thought they'd scabbed over, they had stopped hurting. So why did I feel like I was bleeding all over still? Wasn't therapy supposed to help this, not make me feel worse?

I shook my head. I didn't have time for this. Self-pity wouldn't bust that child trafficking ring.

I focused on my appearance again, wondering if I should spray brown or red hair dye on my blonde hair, but decided that brown was too close to black and red hair dye had a chance of staining the blonde. Plus, it'd increase the chance of getting caught when I had to wash it out before any of the Avengers saw me. Before I could come to a solution, I got distracted by the appearance of my nose, crooked from being broken over and over. I ground my teeth. There was just no escaping the reminders of Tempe tonight.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my reflection anymore, willing the burning in my throat to go away. Once it stopped, I opened my eyes.

 _The cut on my jaw was dripping blood onto the dirty tile of the bathroom. I was staring intently into the cracked mirror at the ugly gash, trying to stitch myself up with shaky hands. It hurt so badly. I hadn't thought to grab an anesthetic when I snitched the suture kit from the emergency room. My teeth clenched down on a rag to keep my screaming muffled as I pulled the thread through..._

I gasped and my hand flew up to my scar as I looked around to assure myself that I was indeed in my bedroom in Stark Tower, not stitching myself up after being slashed by the monster my mother married. I quickly turned my back to the mirror, not watching to see my reflection anymore, not wanting to see that memory.

"Did you just have another flashback?" Nova asked aloud. She was the only one that knew, the only one I could talk to about them. Ever since I'd knocked the girl down on the first day of school, I'd been getting the flashes of memories more and more. They never happened during training, thankfully, but instead when I was least expecting it. Someone would run by me in the hall, and I'd see Pietro getting shot. A boy would playfully push a girl in the hallway, and I'd see my stepfather pushing my mother down the stairs. I'd drop a tool in the workshop, and I'd immediately cower, waiting for a hit that would never come.

I needed to get more sleep.

"Yeah," I told Nova. "I'm okay." Nova didn't bother to lecture me again on why I should tell someone about it. She knew that if I did, it would be even longer until I was put onto active duty. And although she didn't say anything, I had a feeling that she was itching to get back out in the field, too. I wasn't the only one that wanted to do some good in the world. Nova was built for assisting me in combat, after all. Normal day-to-day life bored her, too.

I dared myself to look at my reflection again, to see if I'd go back to Tempe again, and breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened- it was just me, looking scared. _Scared of your own reflection,_ I scoffed.

But then, I started noticing the differences that hadn't been there was I was stitching myself up in Arizona. Besides the bloody jaw, of course. Ones that my subconscious hadn't taken into account during the latest flashback.

I wasn't as pale now as I was in Arizona, since I was locked up so much the last few months there. Despite the summer fading into fall, being outside on the weekends and when going to school caused my skin to have a light tan. I didn't have bruises on my face- the ones from the fight had long since faded, and Natasha, Wanda, and Deadpool avoided doing anything that could potentially hit me in the face. My eyes were the same color, and still slightly bloodshot, but they didn't look defeated anymore. They looked calculating. And my face- the angles of my cheeks and jaw weren't as prominent. I was still smaller than the Avengers wanted me to be, but I definitely had more fat on my body now than any other time in my life.

But the scars were still there, covering the progress I made, making it obsolete. They'd never go away.

Suddenly angry, I impulsively grabbed another compression tank top and tied it over my head so my face was completely hidden and I didn't have to see the scars anymore. I could see, but not very well- not as well as I'd need to in a fight. Taking out my aviators, I put them on over my makeshift mask. "Nova, whatever The lenses see from the sunglasses, mirror it in the normal glasses, please" I told her.

"Woah," I exclaimed as Nova followed my directions. "Thanks, Nova!" It worked better than expected; it was like my helmet on the Iron Shorty suit, it displayed the HUD.

I also looked like a huge dork.

"You're actually going to do this?" Nova asked, her tone clearly indicating how she felt about it. "Come on, Holly!" Even though she wanted to be in a fight, she also didn't want me dead.

"Nova. These are kids we're talking about. We have to go," I answered as I slipped on a black zip up and flipped up the hood. That looked better. I guess you had to be a real Avenger before you got a cool suit. But now I couldn't see behind me using the cameras on the back of the glasses arms.

"You're a kid, too," she retorted flatly as I put the aviator glasses arms on the outside of my hood. Now it felt like they were going to fall off. But no big deal- since I had been wearing my glasses during combat with Deadpool, I had a bungee strap that hooked around the end of them so they couldn't fall off. Looked awful, but whatever. It worked.

I didn't answer Nova and proceeded to pry the vent cover off. I thought about hiding it, but let's be real; if any of the Avengers walked into my room, them discovering me gone was the giveaway anyway.

"I'll deactivate," she threatened. "It's still in my original coding to keep you safe, first and foremost. You can't do it without me."

I crawled into the vent. It wasn't a tight fit. "You're right. I can't bust the place without you. But I'll try anyway. Without you, I'll fail. But I'm doing it regardless."

"You're so annoying," she grumbled as she turned the lights off in my room. The ducts were plunged into darkness. "Let's go get the bad guys. Night vision?"

"Please," I said with a relieved grin. Even if she was a bodiless hunk of coding, Nova was my friend, and her being with me made me confident I'd succeed, despite all of the things that could and probably would go wrong.

I reached a vertical duct shaft within ten meters of the journey. Nova was directing me based on guessing, but it was Nova's guessing, and I knew there was a 99.99% chance of her 'guess' being the right route. My job was to be as quiet as possible, but I knew that I was making too much noise without Nova telling me.

 **Try to go up before you go down** , Nova showed in my glasses screen. I agreed with her. The vertical duct looks too wide for a child to use, but the ones you're in right now are too small for an adult- I think that Tony didn't make the ones leading to the Stark Floor big enough for Clint.

I nodded to show her I understood, but she wasn't in my head- she didn't realize that I didn't intend to scrunch my way up or down with my back pressed against one side and my legs against the other, like Clint probably did. "Turn off my bangles," I whispered. My words echoed anyway. "I'm going to use my mutation to do it."

For a second, nothing happened, and I wondered if Nova was going to argue. But then the lights glowed, and I knew that she agreed it'd be the safest- and quietest- way to travel.

I shuddered as the pent up energy flooded through me, and then forced myself to focus and began to focus my attention on the particles I could now feel. I envisioned the particles slowing to almost a stop, placing themselves like rungs of a ladder. Flipping onto my back, I edged my way off so that my head, neck, and shoulder blades hung over the edge. I closed my eyes, reached into the air, and pulled myself up. I grabbed onto one, then one more, and then I was dangling by my hands in the middle of a heating duct. I slowly opened my eyes. Besides the slight white mist that my mutation manifested as, it looked like I was hanging in midair.

"Now is not the time to look down," Nova told me aloud. I didn't shush her- she probably didn't want me to get distracted by showing text in my glasses. The muscles in my back and shoulders were already screaming from hanging. This was a bad idea.

"Holly? You can do this."

I swallowed and started to test if I could climb up. It wasn't too difficult, actually; once I got a knack for it, I could envision the particles below my feet to stay solid, adding a push to the pull.

"Okay," Nova said after I'd climbed a story. "Now, back down. You should have put some cameras on the bottom of your shoes."

"Too late for that," I muttered. I wished that I could lean back against the wall of the shaft as I descended, for support, but that would have been too risky. If I bumped it, and someone heard it- well, the Avengers were more like the world's most paranoid heroes when it got dark out.

It ended up that I could use the same liquidizing technique as the other day; but I had to rely on Nova's sensors to warn me when bottom was, and every ten feet I had a solid platform made so I wouldn't fall too hard or too unevenly and risk making noise. After what felt like an eternity, but according to Nova was only forty minutes, I finally reached the bottom of the massive skyscraper that was my home. Every muscle in my back and arms ached from the exertion.

"You're street level, Holly," Nova told me, stress masking the enthusiasm. "I'm already hacking the security cameras. You should be good; I'm putting the route in the HUD."

Travelling the streets of New York was different than Tempe. It was still bright as day right now, despite it being the middle of the night. And it was colder here now, in October, than it had ever been in Arizona. I wished I'd brought the warm jacket Pepper made me wear during the day outside, now. She'd practically had a heart attack when she found out Steve had taken me to school without one yesterday. I hadn't even noticed the cold then. I did now. Man, I've become soft since Tony had taken me in.

I ran to Hell's Kitchen, as usual. Between Steve's training and these treks, I'd become quite the runner. I liked the feeling of my feet pounding the pavement, of the strain in my legs as my lungs evenly inhaled and exhaled the crisp air. Running like this felt great- it was purposeful, and I had the stamina and endurance to do it.

Deadpool was waiting on the roof of the warehouse. "Nice outfit," he snickered. "Took you long enough. I've been waiting here forever. Thought you chickened out."

Using my mutation, I easily climbed up and stood next to him. I folded my arms and cocked my head to the side. He had the gall to insult my outfit? His was red and black, not inconspicuous at all. "Nah, just had to sneak past the Avengers. All in a day's work," I snapped. I was nervous about the task ahead, and not in the mood for the trash talk that was normal for Deadpool and I.

"Well then. Someone's grumpy," he mocked. "Fine. All I'm telling you is the address of where they're likely keeping the kids." He showed me an address that was scrawled on a Taco Bell napkin, and Nova immediately pinned it on my HUD. About three blocks from here- by the docks. "Now, it's all on you." He leaned his face close to mine. I was glad mine was also hidden by a mask. "If you fail, say hi to my favorite girl for me."

"Death isn't a person, it's a concept," I grumbled before his words fully hit me. "Wait- you aren't coming?"

"I've got chimichangas to eat, Princess. Meet me back here if you don't meet my soulmate."

I shook my head in disbelief as he sat there, swinging his legs, looking out at the city. "What are you waiting for?" He asked. "Get going." Before I could retort, he groaned and pressed a Glock into my hand. "Here, Princess! A handicap for you to make it easier. It has eight bullets."

I carefully pointed the gun at the ground and checked it out. It was a pretty standard one; I'd practiced on it in the shooting range before the Red Room. If I recall correctly, it didn't fit my hand at all and I was terrible at aiming. Then I noticed the biggest difference between this glock and the one I had trained on. "Hey- this doesn't have a safety!"

"Neither does life. Bye!"

I snorted. I didn't have time for this, not when there were kids being sold. I unloaded the gun, tucked the rounds in my pocket and the gun in my waistband. Shooting him one last unseen glare, I used my mutation to run clean off the roof and onto the neighboring one, safely thanks to my mutation, and started to run.

Travelling by rooftop and mutation was a lot easier than on the street. At least in the dark of Hell's Kitchen, no one appeared to notice a small humanoid figure running in midair. When I got near the place the kids were supposedly being kept in, I took cover on a roof approximately fifty yards away and crouched down, my eyes barely peeking over the edge as I tried to gather as much info as I could. The roof I was on was great cover to stake the place out- completely dark, a loud air conditioning unit taking up a decent portion of it.

"Nova, zoom in for me. 2.5x," I breathed, heart pounding. The lenses adjusted, and now, it looked about twenty yards away.

The place itself looked horror-movie sinister. The building had weathered wood and boarded up windows. There was only one point of entry that I could see. There were a few cargo trucks and many shipping crates.

I could guess what they were exporting.

"Nova?" I asked again, just loud enough for Nova's sensors to pick up. "Are there any security cameras?"

Yes. There was a pause, ten seconds, enough for me to wonder what she wasn't telling me, before she continued, Inside and out. And yes. There are kids in there. This… this is sick.

"Show me the feed?" I requested. "I need to see what it looks like inside before I go in there."

 **It'd trigger you. You need to turn back, Holly. There's four full grown men in there right now. By the looks of it, they've got plenty of tranquilizers on hand, the victims are chained, they have stun batons and are likely packing. You have nothing since you let Deadpool convince you to leave your suit at home, you moron.**

The text was faded for about a minute before I responded. "I'm not turning back," I said calmly. "I've got my mutation, a gun with eight rounds, and the training from Deadpool, Black Widow, and Captain America. Most importantly, I have you. I can do this."

 **No** , Nova's words filled the lenses screen. **You can't. I'm all about saving the world, Holly, but this is putting yourself in danger for no reason!**

"Nova, I_"

"Holly, watch out!"

Nova's words were cut off as I was grabbed and slammed to the ground. I couldn't move, couldn't even budge- whoever had grabbed me was extremely strong. There was a hand covering my mouth while another grabbed both of my wrist and pinned them to my back. As I froze, panicked, the hand covering my mouth ripped off my mask and sunglasses.

My mutation didn't need any extra push as in complete panic, I charged the particles and zapped the person off of me. The attacker grunted and flew across the rooftop, much to my shock. I scrambled to my feet, the chilly wind assaulting my now revealed face.

 **Do I need to call the Avengers?** Nova typed in my regular glasses screen. At least she hadn't been damaged, although my sunglasses were probably wrecked.

I didn't answer her. I didn't know the answer yet. Facing my attacker, I was shocked to see a woman, not much bigger than Natasha, sprawled facedown on the rooftop. Thin, long black hair, and toned but lean muscles. Wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and combat boots. She didn't look like much of a threat.

But I knew, as I fumbled with the gun to get the rounds inside, that I didn't look like a threat either, and look what I could do.

The woman was gingerly picking herself off the graveled rooftop. I could tell that she hadn't expected me to be able to do that, and it rattled her.

I could also tell from the hesitant way she moved that I had really hurt her, and I felt a guilty pang in my gut, even as I had both of my hands up at at the ready. My right hand, with the Glock, and my left hand glowing white with my mutation-enabled 'repulsor'.

Her black eyes locked onto mine. Her expression was neutral, almost bored as she took in my appearance, but then she narrowed her eyes.

Turn that light off," she hissed. "Or do you want to be caught by the traffickers?"

 **Holly, do I call the Avengers?!** Nova typed again. She had made it so my HUD showed the target of where the bullet would land if I fired my gun at at the woman.

If your life is in danger, you shoot to kill, Natasha had solemnly told me, weeks ago. Don't give your enemy any benefit of the doubt.

But this woman didn't look threatening.

I stopped focusing my energy to my left hand and lowered it, but kept the gun trained right over her heart.

It made me feel sick.

"Who are you?" I asked, voice shaking even though I tried to imitate Tony's swagger and ego. What had happened to my own? What happened to the person who stupidly turned up at a mansion and demanded money from a person she'd never met? The woman smirked at my tone, I flushed. I sounded like a scared little kid. Well, Hell, I am a scared kid.

 **Don't tell her who you are**. Nova's advice was unnecessary.

But then the woman's smirk faded and her eyes narrowed, as if she had just figured something out. "The better question," she began casually, "Is what is Tony Stark's kid doing running around Hell's Kitchen in the middle of the night?"

I couldn't hide my shock.

"Come on, seriously?" She shook her head. "One, you look just like him. But you dyed your hair and got glasses, apparently. Two, what other little girl is going to be on a rooftop, in the dead of night, holding a gun and have a repulsor like the Iron Man suit does?" She snorted. "But apparently he made skin colored gloves for it now. That's cool."

"Um…" I didn't know if I should admit to anything. How did my disguise fool people day in and day out, but this stranger in Hell's Kitchen saw right through me?

But the woman wasn't waiting for a response. "Tell the Avengers to stick to saving the world and to stay out of Hell's Kitchen."

"They're not here with me," I protested immediately.

 **You idiot, now they know you're alone** , Nova wrote.

I ignored her and ploughed on, "I'm here to shut down this workshop. So are you here for the same reason? Because if you are, then we're on the same team."

The woman let out a sigh. "My name is Jessica Jones," she said. "And you're not helping us. Get lost, kid. Go home."

 **Yes, go home!**

So, Jessica Jones thought I was another useless kid. And by the look of it, so did Nova.

I felt the air crackle and snap around me as I glared at her. I wasn't useless. Broken, sure. Broken beyond repair, probably. But I could help them, and there wasn't any real reason why they shouldn't let me.

"My name is Holly," I snapped. "And_"

Before I could utter another word, Jessica darted forward and pulled me down. Startled, I dropped my gun, which clattered off the rooftop. Bullets zinged over my head, but I hadn't heard the shot, which meant it wasn't from my gun, and the person had potentially used a silencer. "Well, Holly Stark, the jackasses in charge just spotted us, so I hope you can run," she muttered as she threw me over her shoulder fireman-style and jumped off the roof. With a horrible jolt from the impact and a crunch from the pavement, we landed. She set me on my feet and started running toward one the maze of shipping crates.

"Come on!" she commanded, shoving me forward. "Go!"

It could be a trap, Nova warned, but I wasn't waiting to find out. I sprinted in the direction Jones shoved me toward and didn't stop until she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into one of the shipping crates. She slid the door closed, and I only got a glimpse of two humanoid figures in the otherwise empty crate before we were plunged into darkness.

"The unknown was Holly Stark," Jones panted, and I heard her fumbling with a flashlight. "They saw us, they shot at us. Stark, this is_" She finally turned on the flashlight, and suddenly, I didn't need any more introduction.

The Devil was standing in front of me.


	38. The Defenders: Part Two

Jessica's hand was over my mouth, muffling my screaming, and her arm was around my waist, preventing me from running.

"Relax, kid, it's just his costume." I tore my eyes away from the horrifying costume and managed to stop screaming as I looked at the scoffing African American man whose muscles rivaled Thor's. "I'm Luke Cage." He gestured to the Devil, but I refused to look. "This scary dude over here is_"

"Daredevil," the scary dude growled. I forced myself to turn my eyes toward him again. Now I could see the 'DD' emblazoned on his chest.

Luke Cage rolled his eyes.

"Done screaming?" Jones asked me. I tried to nod and couldn't budge. "Good." she released me. "She's alone," she added to her comrades.

I tried to look like I hadn't just freaked out over Daredevil's costume. "So your power is super strength," I stated as I picked up the flashlight she'd dropped to restrain me and handed it to Jessica Jones. Mostly to avoid looking at Daredevil, rather than politeness, but I figured it was a nice gesture.

Jones nodded. "Obviously."

I turned to Luke Cage. "And yours is…?"

He grinned. "I'm impenetrable. Shoot me, I won't bleed."

I nodded and swallowed, remembering that my gun was on the ground somewhere, and that no one besides a psycho merc knew where I was.

But I turned to Daredevil and tried to sound brave. "And your ability is scaring the life out of people?" I was proud that I sounded bored.

He smiled. It looked weird, with his mask. It had his eyes completed covered, but his mouth was clearly visible. "Try radar sense. I can tell that you have no weapon on you, although your glasses are making a hum and you have a weird type of energy field around you." The harshness of his voice didn't seem natural anymore, it was more forced.

 **Thanks for getting that info for me, boss. Searching SHIELD's database for you now.** I grinned; I had programmed her well.

"That makes sense. She did zap me and throw me across a roof," Jones chimed in, throwing Cage the flashlight and then pinning me against the wall with one hand. Daredevil and Cage were now behind her. Despite the fact that I couldn't even try to resist, the hand didn't hurt, and I knew that Jessica didn't want to hurt me, just scare me. It worked. She leaned close and I tried to keep a passive face. "What makes you special, kid?"

 **Tell them; you're outmanned and outgunned.**

"I'm a genius, billionaire, child, mutant," I parroted Tony's words and tone, making the changes to suit my needs. I tried to shift out from under her hand, and she increased pressure. Could she push right through my chest? "My mutation affects the speed of particles. Now, how are we going to bust this child trafficking ring?"

Daredevil stepped forward, causing Jessica to move to my left, next to Luke. He glared at me, and despite the uncomfortable pressure from Jessica's hand on my chest, I glared back. "Let the kid up." Jessica removed her hand, and I stepped closer to him, unwilling to back down or let his costume scare me. His mask had _horns._ "You're here to fight these guys. What do you know about them?"

My eyes were watering from trying not to blink, but I kept staring him down. I heard Jessica snicker, chose to ignore her, and stated, "I know there are kids in there that need to be saved and that I can do it. What do you know?"

"A lot more than you, apparently. Tell me, genius-billionaire-child-mutant; did you even stop to consider the risks involved with you trying to take these guys on your own?"

"Of course," I snapped. I wasn't an idiot.

 **Holly, I just finished searching… everywhere. SHIELD has nothing on any of these guys. They flew under the radar. Now that either means they've never caused trouble for SHIELD, they're new, or they just haven't been caught before. I doubt they're good enough to hide from Fury, Coulson, or Hill.**

Daredevil smirked. "Jessica said you were working alone. What's your plan if _you_ got caught by the _child_ traffickers?"

I opened my mouth, and then lamely closed it again.

Luke Cage let out a bark like laugh, crossed his arms and shook his head. Jessica backhanded him, and I automatically flinched.

 **Keep your mind in the present, Holly, you can't afford to have another flashback. Not now.** I wish Nova would tell me something I didn't know. Like if I could trust them.

"I'm waiting," he growled.

"I wouldn't have gotten caught," I protested weakly.

"Who knows you're here?" he asked.

I broke eye contact. "I'm not going to tell you. But someone _does._ And he's crazy."

Daredevil scoffed and looked at Jones and Cage. I blinked like crazy, my eyes protesting from the staring contest. "Iron Fist told us tonight was our only chance to bust it, that they're shipping out the kids tomorrow night. We need to move." He turned back to me. "You would follow us unless we dragged you back to Avengers Tower or tied you up, wouldn't you?"

I shrugged. "Probably. Not the first time I jumped into battle when I was supposed to stay behind."

 **And the last time nearly killed you.** I could almost hear Nova's snarky tone through the text on my glasses lense. How was that even possible?

"Taking you back to Avengers Tower would take too much time. And we need all the time we can get." He turned back to me. "Don't get killed. I don't feel like having the Avengers coming after me. This is what we need you to do."

It wasn't a bad plan. In fact, I might have thought of it myself. The only problem I had with it is that I wasn't doing anything that I'd learned from Deadpool. And when the Merc with a Mouth found out, he'd probably make me sneak out at night _again_ because this didn't count as passing his 'test'. I think meeting the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was enough to defer me from stepping foot into the neighborhood again after tonight.

As far as my position in the plan went, I was the bait and the diplomat. I wholeheartedly agreed that it made the most sense for me to present myself to the children- anyone else (aka, any adult) would just scare them.

Jessica had given me her phone, disgusted that I didn't have one on me. I didn't tell her the AI in my glasses could contact anyone that I'd need to talk to. The phone was more of a prop, anyway.

"You need to get into character," Daredevil growled at me as I got ready to start the plan. "If you were actually a runaway because you got into a fight with your parents, then you'd be crying."

I stared at him. "I don't cry," I said in a low voice. "And don't even give me the 'then I'll make you' threat, because I was kidnapped and tortured this past summer and never did."

Daredevil looked over my head, not at me as he growled, "You're not lying. Just do your best to be… distraught. If for whatever reason you are hit or knocked out, Luke will make you his priority, Jessica will get the kids, and I'll take care of the rest of them."

"I know. I was listening the first three times you described the plan to me, you know," I snapped as I put the phone up to my ear and started toward the trafficker's warehouse. The place would be easy to defend from intruders; it was huge, with docks without much maneuverability leading to the back entrance, and solid twenty yard radius of open space surrounding the sides and the front entrance. Once I walked into the open, I would be in plain view of everyone, despite there being hardly any artificial light in this part of town.

It was awkward to pretend to talk on the phone as I stalked out from behind the building to the left of the entrance. Probably because I've only spoken on the phone a handful of times in my life before I'd met Tony. Faking a conversation convincingly was not on my skill set.

But luckily, it didn't matter how unconvincingly I was acting; all the traffickers saw was a child that wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.

"I already told you, Mom, until you get rid of that creep, I'm not coming home!" I yelled into the phone. I wish I would have had the guts to say that to my actual mom. Of course, it wouldn't matter if I had said it. My mom loved my stepfather and booze more than she'd ever loved me.

I pretended to listen to a response, then shook my head in disgust.

"I'd rather live on the streets than live with you!" I snarled into the phone. Then I hung up and whipped the phone across the pavement, (Jessica had instructed me to do it, saying that her two-year contract was up anyway, and it'd make it more convincing) conveniently turning my back to the entrance of the warehouse.

Then I stopped walking, just fifteen yards away from the warehouse door, closed my eyes, and ran my hands over my head in faked (but actually, to me, quite real) stress. I could feel eyes on me. I didn't think they were my latest allies. Our plan was working. The traffickers had eyes on me.

But for a second, I panicked. What did I know about Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage? How did I know that they weren't bad people?

I never should have left Stark Tower.

I opened my eyes in time for Nova to show me two men wearing black pants, black hoodies, and scary-movie style clown masks sneaking up behind me. One was also wielding a gun, and the other had a dirty cloth. Probably was soaked in chloroform, the creeps.

That was all the 'encouragement' I needed. Before he could get within three feet of me, I focused some of my own energy to my left hand and blasted the man with a gun to the ground. Jessica and Luke were there by my side. Jessica immediately engaged the man with the cloth. But now there were two more men that were sprinting toward us. Both had guns; both were also wearing masks.

Luke threw me behind him. "Watch out for ricochettes!" He ordered before sprinting toward the two men. I understood- he had impenetrable skin. He was my shield as I sprinted into the warehouse. Bullets zinged off of him until they ran out of rounds and I darted around him.

Noiselessly, Daredevil joined the fight and he ran with me while Luke took care of the two men. "Take a left at the end of the hallway, and then two rights. You'll get to the room where they're holding the kids. It'll take you longer to get there, but there won't be anyone to stop you. They're all running towards us now from the other direction. Go!"

Man, radar sense was cool. I sprinted as fast as I could, my heart pounding in my ears. I hadn't felt this alert since I'd overdosed on epinephrine.

Of course there was someone guarding the spot where they were holding the kids. Same type of outfit, but this clown mask was different- it didn't look like a goofy carnival one. It had sharp teeth and horribly realistic looking bloodstains around the mouth.

I should have been scared. But all I could think about was how badly they were already abusing the kids through the door he was standing in front of without the added factor of a murder clown mask.

"How the hell did you get out!" the man shouted, holding up another gun. I noticed that this didn't have a silencer as I skidded to a halt and glared, focusing my energy to both my left and right hand.

 **Be careful- remember, you don't have much of your own energy to work with before you pass out. Probably less than usual, since you're running on empty sleep-wise.**

I inclined my head slightly, so Nova would know I understood, and the glow of my left palm decreased. I'd never practiced using both my own energy and manipulating external particles before. Now was not the time to try.

"Move," I growled, trying to imitate Daredevil's uncompromising attitude. "Or I will kill you."

My words shocked me. I'd never threatened that before. To anyone. Not my stepfather, not the metal-armed man.

But they didn't phase the man. He started moving toward me. "Listen, you little bitch-"

With my built up energy focused to my hand, I fired.

But as the white blast hit him square in the chest, so did he.

Almost like a reflex, I slowed the particles in front of me down as I dashed out of the way. I grinned.

And then I freaking got shot.

"Nova, I'm hit," I yelped as I leaned against the wall and put my hand to the wound on my left side. It was just below my rib cage. Strangely, it just burned and throbbed, and didn't take me down like I thought it would.

I yanked up my shirt so Nova could analyze it. The sight of my blood dripping down my side made my head spin, made me remember the seemingly thousands of times I'd had to clean my own blood from the carpet in Tempe.

" **It's just a graze. Stay with me. Stay focused- you'll be okay. Might need stitches, might not. The guard's taken care of, anyway. Go get the kids!"**

"Thanks, Nova. Thank you." Pushing through a bullet graze wouldn't be in the top ten of hardest things I'd done in my life. I blearily looked at the end of the hallway at the collapsed guard, then forced myself to walk forward, kneel down, and search for a pulse.

I didn't think I'd ever felt such staggering relief when I found proof that I hadn't killed him.

" **You're wasting time-the kids_"**

"On it." I searched the guards' pockets and found a ring of keys, took the dropped gun, and reached for the door knob. It was unlocked- that was weird- and stepped in.

Inside wasn't a scene from any past nightmares, but it would probably be a common setting for future ones. The room was totally cement, roughly 300 square feet in size, and was only lit by four dimly glowing bulbs. Roughly twenty kids, aging from six to about thirteen, it looked like, were huddled on the ground, their ankles and wrists shackled to the walls of the vast cavern. Their clothes, if they were wearing any- and many of the girls were not- were tattered and filthy. Some of them wore _dog_ collars that were also chained to the wall- like they were animals. I could see that they were starving- the shirtless ones, you could count every single bone. They flinched when they saw me, trying to get as close to the wall they were shackled to as they could.

I hated that they flinched when they saw me, standing there holding a ring of keys in one hand and a gun in the other like I was one of their captors. They looked familiar, not because I'd met them before, but because I'd felt the pain and fear that I saw reflected in their faces. I understood them.

But what sickened me most was the drain in the middle of the room. The traffickers could torture a group of kids, make them bleed until they broke them, and then ship them off, hose off the room, hide the evidence.

I knew that my face reflected my feelings, and from the faces of the kids, they weren't appeased by me like Daredevil was counting on.

I glanced over the room, looking into the faces of each and every one of the victims. When I saw a boy who gazed back at me unflinchingly- he was older, about ten or eleven- I knew that his spirit wasn't broken yet. I went over and knelt down. He seemed to strain against the cuffs, even though the cuts on his wrists and ankles from them were obviously infected and hurting them.

"My name is…" I trailed off. I couldn't tell them. Not unless I wanted it to become public knowledge that Holly _Stark_ had rescued victims of child trafficking. "Listen. I'm here to help."

It took me nearly ten minutes to unlock all of them. A lot of them were too weak to stand. It bothered me that even the littlest kids didn't cry. A lot of the little kids in my apartment complex growing up cried. All but me and some of the kids that had it even worse. It was like once you got to a point, your eyes couldn't cry anymore, and it made me sick that these kids had gotten to that point.

"I need you to follow me," I said in a low, gentle, voice. "I know the way out. I'll protect you. You_" I gestured to the boy that had the defiant expression- "Can you make sure that no one gets left behind? I know you guys don't have much energy to run, but we have to hurry. I don't know how much time we have. I headed down the hallway, kicked the guard's still unconscious body out of the way, and grinned in satisfaction as I saw the kids quietly following behind me with huge eyes. Like they thought this was too good to be true.

I walked as fast as I could while still keeping the kids close behind me. The last thing I wanted was to lose one. The older kids were helping- some even carrying- the younger ones. I guess there was something about suffering next to someone that made you a team. I wouldn't have known that. I suffered alone, and this place was seriously giving me the creeps.

"Not much farther now," I gasped, almost hysterical, as we made the last turn before we would walk out the door. All I wanted to do was get into my own bed and yank the covers over my entire body. Maybe I'd even take Tony and Pepper up on waking them up and having them stay with me. I don't think I ever wanted to be alone again. No one, not even Natasha, had told me how afraid I would be while fighting bad guys. And I didn't even understand why I was so afraid.

I could see the door ahead of me. I didn't know what was waiting out there. My newfound allies? The police? More traffickers?

I didn't even get to the door before four traffickers burst in.

I rushed the attackers, yelling to the kids, "GO! Get out!"

I don't remember what happened next. I remember registering that they were in a formation to fight in. That this formation, according to Fury's books, required five people, not four, and that their backs were uncovered. I remembered using my mutation to make the lights explode, and Nova giving me night vision, and then knocking three of the guards out. I remember the fourth guard desperately shooting, and me dodging his bullets thanks to me slowing down the air particles to increase friction on the bullet.

I remember knocking out the fourth guard, finally.

I remember turning around and seeing all the kids in the courtyard, free, with Luke Cage running toward me while Jessica ushered them toward police cars.

I remember turning back and seeing the boy I'd asked to help get everyone out in a pool of blood that was oozing out of his chest.

I remember kneeling down next to him, trying to stem the blood with my bare hands. Maybe I was screaming. Maybe I was _crying._ I don't know.

I remember him whispering, "My name… is Sean. Find my parents… tell them I'm sorry…"

I don't remember much after that. Not until I was laying down on a couch in Jessica Jones' living room with her, Daredevil, and an unknown Latina woman that was stitching up my bullet graze on my side.

"Ouch!" I snapped as I finally was able to focus.

 **Finally! You had me worried there for awhile. You only have about an hour and a half to make it back before the Avengers will realize you're missing! Forget checking back in with Deadpool- finish getting stitched up and got the heck out of here!**

"Now you say ow? Really? You know you're completely numb, right?" the Latina woman asked me. I blinked. Weirdly, I felt comfortable in the run down apartment, with a Latina woman nearby, even if she was a stranger. In my apartment complex in Tempe, most of the population was Latina. And they were always nice to me, even if their could be fiery sometimes.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I… that little boy…" I trailed off.

"Well, I'm drinking whiskey," Jessica Jones stated adamantly, shoving a glass under my nose. "Want some? Might help."

"You are not giving Stark's daughter alcohol," Daredevil stated adamantly, and Jessica took the foul-smelling liquid away. His costume looked less creepy in the bright artificial light of Jessica's apartment. He turned back to me. "You got the kids out. Losing one is a terrible loss. But just remember, we saved so many other lives. The four that rushed you… they got past me. It was a team effort. It is not your fault."

There was an awkward silence as I didn't believe him. Finally, the Latina spoke. "I'm Claire. I fix these fools up every couple nights. I hope you have the sense not to join them, Holly Stark. I can't handle another."

"I'm sorry," I muttered again, feeling bad I was causing her more work. "I can do it myself, if you'd like. Did the one on my face by myself."

She looked at me like she wasn't sure if I was joking or not before shrugging. "I'm almost done, anyway."

Daredevil, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up and towered over me. "Not that I don't appreciate your help- we really do. One of us might have been badly hurt if you weren't there. But do you know how dangerous it is? For you to do vigilante work, especially having the powers and the social status that you do? If you get caught by the wrong people_"

I felt a shiver go up my spine. For his words had reminded me of Fury's, when I was lying in a hospital bed.

" _There are those that want to kidnap you for ransom or to try to control the Avengers. The guys behind them want to exploit you. And right behind them are those that want to dissect you."_

"_You'll be hurt, or even killed," Daredevil continued. Doesn't that scare you?"

I felt like I was a thousand years old as Claire tied off the last stitch. "Honestly, Daredevil? No. The kid that died… Sean…" I swallowed as I said his name out loud. "I think the one that died was the lucky one. The rest of those kids, they survived the war. Now they have to live with the trauma."

"They'll dissolve in a few days," Claire told me, giving me a sad look. I didn't know why. My side didn't even hurt that much.

"You know what that's like, to live with it." Daredevil hadn't phrased it like a question, but I nodded anyway. "Then I'm sorry I underestimated you. You helped a lot tonight. Those kids would have never left the warehouse before it blew unless we dragged them out, kicking and screaming."

"The warehouse blew?" I asked, bewildered.

"I told you she was in shock," Claire interjected as she taped gauze over the stitches and pulled my shirt down.

Daredevil nodded at Claire, then continued, "Yeah, it was rigged to unless one of the head henchmen stopped it. Obviously, they didn't want their thugs to be captured alive. I'm happy to say thanks to you, the police got the four by the door out before it went up." He hesitated. "Holly Stark… this probably wont happen for awhile. But, if we need you again, would you be willing to help us? And of course, we will return the favor."

I nodded.

"Speak for yourself," Jessica muttered from the kitchen as she poured herself another drink before turning toward me. "Kind of kidding. I second what the guy in spandex said. But consider growing up first before you get shot again, okay?"

Again, I nodded.

Daredevil smiled. "You know I can't see you nodding, just sense it, right? I'm blind."

I thought back to how hard I tried to stare him down in the shipping crate and flushed. " _What?_ "

"Superpowers, kid."

 _They're not acquired painlessly._

I shivered again, because I _heard_ Ajax in my ear, not just remembering him. I didn't want to ask Daredevil how he went blind. Instead, I just said, "Right. Sorry."

"Don't sweat it. Get home safe, okay?"

"So what do I call you?" I joked as I hopped to my feet. "'My crowd' calls themselves the Avengers, so what do I call you guys?"

"Call us the Defenders. Get going."

I took one last look at the rundown apartment- so close in visual to what my own home had looked like, yet Claire and Daredevil being there made it feel almost safe- and booked it back home.


	39. Spider-Man and SHIELD Agents

"Holly, you don't have to go to school today. You look… well, you don't look very well."

I flickered my deadened gaze to Pepper's concerned one as I prepared to leave. I probably look as bad as I feel. But they thought I was _just_ nervous about the hearing, not that I'd also stayed up all night. And got grazed by a bullet when busting a human trafficking ring. And saw a child younger than me die.

Normally I'd have taken her up on the offer to stay home, since school sucked and I'd snuck back into the tower and got into the shower (to clean all the blood and grime off of me) a mere ten minutes before Tony and Pepper's alarm went off, but…

"Peter and I are starting to actually build the science project today. I have our materials," I said, patting my bag, "and I really don't want to let him down." And that was true- I was pretty excited about finally building the cloaking device. Once it was done, I could apply it to my suit. Being invisible and able to fly- well, it would solve a lot of my problems if I continued to lurk around Hell's Kitchen.

Unfortunately, my and Peter's style of inventing was quite different. My style (learned from Tony) was to build it and see what happened, see if it worked or not. But Peter made us calculate out EVERYTHING first. Which was annoying, but even I had to admit that it was effective. And caused less explosions, probably. Whatever, Tony's way was more fun, and it was faster if you got it right the first time. Besides, Friday and Nova calculated all that junk for us.

Pepper gave me a smile and pushed a few stray hairs out of my eyes and behind my ear. I had to force myself not to flinch away. I'd been getting better at controlling my reactions- usually, when I was this exhausted, my brain just carried out the learned responses. My mother raising her hand to my face only meant one thing.

"I can't wait to see the finished project. You've been working hard."

I shrugged, but smiled at Pepper's genuine praise, and then Bruce came over to help me put on the nanomask. Thankfully, it would hide the facial features that made me look tired. So I'd look at least sort of human at school, instead of the zombie I felt like. The deep purple circles under my eyes were starting to look permanent.

When he was done, Steve shouldered my backpack- he was annoyingly chivalrous like that, even though he claimed that any 'dad' would do the same, so he had to play the part- and after Pepper made me run back to my room to get a jacket, since the fall weather was now here, we headed to school. Steve hadn't trained me this morning, since I was leaving an hour earlier than normal to meet up with Peter. I had a feeling that Pepper was secretly thrilled I was doing something 'normal' instead of the workout that Steve and I usually did. That bothered me- Pepper eventually would _have_ to realize that I wasn't, and could never be normal. And when she did, I hoped that she wouldn't take it out on me. Or worse, Tony.

I kept dozing on the subway. Steve kept nudging me and telling me to stay awake. I knew he actually meant to stay alert, to watch for suspicious characters, but I couldn't focus. Finally, he gave up and let me nod off, only waking me when we had to get off.

In my groggy state, it wasn't until I sat down next to Peter at our lab table that my slow brain realized something was weirder than usual about him. We were the only two in the room- our chemistry teacher left his room unlocked in the morning for us before going to get coffee from the teacher's lounge. He just requested that we didn't use any chemicals or the Bunsen burner when he wasn't in the room.

Peter strangely looked just as tired as I was, like he'd also been out all night, but he was intently reading something on his phone and sipping something from a to-go cup. Looked like he was reading an online news article. "I got you coffee, too," he said, pushing another Styrofoam cup toward me.

I had never drank coffee before. None of the adults, not even Tony, ever let me. Something about it being bad for kids, but they never gave me a solid reason why. Besides them not giving me a good reason, I was tired enough to ignore that rule as I gratefully said, "Thanks," and started to down it. It was black, and not as good as it smelled or as Tony always acted like it was. It was actually pretty bitter. But I'd eaten worse out of desperation in Tempe- fruit that had started to rot was way worse than the bitter taste of black coffee.

"We gonna build this or what?" I asked, grumpy as I unceremoniously dumped materials on the lab table. How long did it take for the caffeine to kick in?

I was starting to get irritated at Peter. He could read BuzzFeed on his own time, we had work to do. I half expected him to yell at me for carelessly dumping the materials on the lab table, and I wasn't in the mood for his neurotic tendencies today. But I don't think it was actually Peter than was annoying me- it was that every time I blinked, different scenes from last night floated to the front of my mind.

"Give me a minute," he requested.

I groaned and leaned my elbows on the lab table, pressed my palms against my eyes. The images flew by, but I forced myself to watch them. It was, after all, my fault they were ingrained into my memory now.

I knew that what I had done was irresponsible. When would this stop? Why did I willingly go into Hell's Kitchen last night? How did I go from being the abused street rat in Tempe to a secret vigilante fighter? Why was I stupid enough to put myself through another real life nightmare?

The Avengers, especially Pepper, were offering me an out. All I had to do was learn to control my mutation and defend myself, then blend in here. No one would ever hurt me again with them watching over me. How come I couldn't just settle for safety? That's all I wanted in Tempe.

"Have you read this?" He asked quietly, his voice strange. Tense. Like he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Read _what?_ " I asked, examining a piece of metal sheet that had been bent thanks to my carelessness. I knew I should have brought better quality, but Stark-grade materials would have gotten me found out.

"Don't freak out," he said carefully.

He slid me his phone across the table. My eyes widened as I saw the in-color picture of me- it was an old school picture from Tempe. I looked like hell- there was a shadow of a bruise on my forehead from my stepdad smashing my head on the counter. I remembered that day- I had desperately tried to cover it with bangs so it wouldn't show. People would ask questions, and I didn't want to answer them. I was eight.

But more disturbing was the the headline of _The Daily Bugle,_ which screamed:

 **STARK'S SKELETONS**

My stomach dropped to the floor as I reached into my pocket to grip Nova's chip in my left hand and held Peter's phone in my right. The words of the article drew my eyes like a dead body would as I forced myself to read.

What scared me most was that the article had details about my life- some details that I'd told no one about. All I could think about was the actual memories that went along with the words that burned themselves into my brain.

The hospital report from being burned with the curling iron. The name of the apartment complex I had grown up in. My accelerated schooling.

They'd _interviewed_ old neighbors about me, and they'd mentioned that they hadn't believed I'd actually been Tony's daughter, despite my drunken stepfather bitching about how much it cost to support me as he drank his paycheck away at the bar.

But it wasn't just that. They reported the exact day I ran away from Tempe, but they said it was because I'd stopped grieving over the death of my mother and took a stand. I was glad that they didn't know the truth. That I'd been locked up for most of the last few months with my stepfather, and only ran when he'd tried to touch me. And it was out of fear, not bravery.

They knew the exact day my mother died. The official cause of death on my mother's death certificate. My IQ. Which colleges I'd been accepted to. How I'd denied college to stay with the Avengers _so I could train to be one._

The parting shot of the article: 'How can Tony Stark protect the world when he can't even protect his daughter?'

My mind was reeling, my hands cold. I stared at the phone after I was done, even as the phone screen blinked off after a minute or two.

Finally, as the shock wore off, the truth came crashing down and I focused on the one thing I could sort of wrap my head around.

Someone betrayed me, and it would likely affect the outcome of the hearing tonight. Especially that last sentence- this was a strategic move.

But who? Obviously not the Avengers.

"I'm so sorry," I heard Peter say, but I ignored him as I tried to think this through.

CPS would have been digging into my past, and those jerks probably would have revealed the information, despite that it was breaking the law. They'd do it to get the public on their side. Especially that last line in the article about me training with the Avengers. And the timing- it was released _after_ the regular news. After I'd already left the tower. But if it was ever proved that they released my information, they'd probably automatically lose their case. Why risk that?

Fury or someone else at SHIELD wouldn't have sold me out, not with the United Nations giving them trouble about Sokovia. They didn't want training child soldiers on their track record, too. And my therapist- there were _laws_ about him revealing information about his patients.

But _someone_ had betrayed me. Who?

I wanted to run to the bathroom and throw up. I wanted to be safe in Avengers tower. At least I wasn't tired anymore. I was ready to run. Was it the caffeine or the fear?

Peter broke my concentration and gave me another problem to worry about. "Holly, are you okay?"

I stopped staring at the phone and stared at Peter Parker in shock as I realized that he'd known who I was, which was why the article alarmed him and why he'd shown it to me. How'd he know? What had I done to tip him off?

"It's okay, it's okay, I won't tell anyone!" He said quickly, glancing around the empty classroom. Both doors are shut.

"How?" I finally choked out.

"Because I'm a big fan of Mr. Stark's work. Are you okay?"

"You know who I am, how can I trust you not to sell me out?" I spat, avoiding his question.

He slid off the stool and started pacing. Finally, he threw his hands in the air. "Because I've known for weeks and haven't yet. And because I'm going to trust you not to sell me out." He looked at me intently and took a deep breath. "I'm the Spider-Man."

I wasn't paying attention enough to care. "The spandex wearing wannabe Avenger that climbs buildings?" I asked as I fumbled for my phone. I needed to call Tony. I needed to find out how much trouble this would cause for the hearing this afternoon.

Peter shrugged. "I mean, I've saved a lot of people. Muggings, and- and burglaries, and stuff like that."

I glanced up at him as I noted his offended tone. His face was flushed. "I'm sorry, Peter, but why do you purposely put yourself at risk? You have adhesive gloves or something, but the police can handle that sort of thing_"

"It's not adhesive gloves. It's me. My genes are mutated." His expression was steely. "Happened just before school started. You're the first person I've told. I thought you'd understand, since you got the opportunity to help and took it during the Ultron Offensive. When you can do the type of stuff we do, but you don't, and then bad things happen-"

"It feels like it's your fault," I finished for him. I'd never been able to put it that way before, and I suddenly felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as I heard what I'd been trying to figure out since the Red Room.

That's why I put myself in danger last night. That's why I snuck out to meet Deadpool. Because I was capable of helping other people.

"I completely understand," I heard myself saying.

He nodded, looking relieved, as we locked eyes. I felt like I was seeing him, actually seeing him, for the first time. And to be honest, I probably actually was. Because he was right, I did understand him, and I immediately felt guilty for calling him an Avengers wannabe, and for being so rude. But he thought I'd understand him because we'd both taken the opportunity to help people, despite being young and the situation being dangerous. Little did he know that because we'd both been mutated, I understood almost perfectly.

"I'm sorry," I told him sincerely, because it was obvious by his expression and body language that he was hurt by my reaction. "I understand- trust me, I do, I'm just shocked- my lab partner is a superhero too, come on, how often does that happen?"

Peter and I looked at each other before laughing a bit. To me, it really was funny. The Avengers wanted me to be normal, so they threw me in a high school, but Deadpool had seized an opportunity to talk to me and I'd met another child mutant.

But I had some questions for Spider-Man. "Your skin is adhesive? How? Were you born with it?"

"I was bitten by a radioactive spider at the science museum, about the same time the Ultron Offensive happened." Peter stared at me, as though he was daring me to laugh. When I didn't, he continued, "It's not adhesive skin- it's only my hands that are adhesive. I've got enhanced strength, stamina, and reflexes. I can shoot webs 'cause I built webshooters. That was what I was working on the first day we met. You helped," he said with a grin. "I also have a sort of sixth sense for danger. Like that day our experiment exploded, I knew something was going to happen, and I didn't want you to get hurt. That's how I kept you from getting sliced."

"Thanks for that," I muttered. I couldn't believe my lab partner, of all people, was the wall crawler of Queens. I guess I should have been more surprised. But considering the Defenders popped out of nowhere last night, and Nova couldn't find anything on any of them in the SHIELD database, I wasn't. But I did have to ask him the question that had been bothering me since I saw Sean die. "Why do you bother staying in school? You're definitely smart enough to have graduated already- and it'd only be a year or so early."

"Why is Tony Stark's daughter posing as a sophomore in high school?" He asked.

We looked at each other for a minute, sizing each other up, the parts of the cloaking device on the table between us long forgotten.

"I think we've got a lot to tell each other," Peter said eventually. "I'm glad I met someone- like me. A kid superhero. And I want you to know, that I don't care about the stuff that they published about you just now. Doesn't make you less of a hero, of a person. But does Mr. Stark know this article is published?"

With a sickening jolt, I was reminded of why Peter had revealed his identity to me. I turned my focus back to the article. "Oh, crap! Probably. Friday- his AI assistant- scans for this stuff. I'm gonna call him."

Peter nodded. "I'll guard the door." He slid off the stool and then shot me a worried glance. "Um, Holly?"

"What?" I asked, about to press the call button.

"Don't tell anyone about me. Please. If people found out who I was…"

"Keep my secret and I'll keep yours." I glared at him to get my point across. He grinned. Weirdo. Even weirder was that I had known, before I glared, that he would keep my secret.

Tony picked up on the first ring. "Holly! Where are you?"

"In the Chemistry classroom, Dad. No one else is around. I read the article."

"Steve turned around, we alerted him as soon as the article was published. He's coming to get you, he's trying to get you out before school starts, but if he doesn't, you have an orthodontist appointment. Are you okay? Everyone knows about Tempe now. I'm sorry, Holls."

Was I okay? Weirdly, Peter knowing who I was and not caring I'd been abused made me feel better. Him also being a kid hero helped as well. I wonder if he's ever seen someone die. "Yeah, I'm okay, but I'm worried about how this is gonna effect the hearing tonight. And why orthodontist? I don't have braces, Dad."

"Well, we should probably get you into see one anyway, just not today." I cringed. "Can you keep your cool until Steve gets there? Or do you need to use your suit to fly out?"

"I'm fine, Dad," I said. Why did they think I'd go to pieces? I could handle myself. I'm fine.

"Friday says Steve's ETA is seven minutes. Meet him by the front doors. I love you, kid."

"Love you too, Dad." I put my phone in my backpack and realized the hand gripping Nova was bloody again.

Peter Parker heard me hang up and walked back in. He saw my hand, but only said, "You have my number. Let me know how it goes tonight, okay? Hey, what's that?" as he pointed to Nova's chip.

I was grateful for the distraction of the Spider-Man as I gave him a quick explanation of how my AI friend worked before going to meet Steve. Peter wished me luck again when I left.

My lab partner was a superhero. How many others were there out there?

I was shocked to see Maria Hill when I got home. She and Tony were going over a mountain of paperwork that was spread over the dining room table. Tony jumped up and hugged me when he saw me and Steve walk in.

"We don't know how that information was revealed, but I promise we will find them."

Maria Hill explained that she was defending me tonight. Apparently, besides helping run SHIELD, she's also Tony's- and by default, my- lawyer.

And she didn't want me in the room when she was making my case to the judge. Only Tony.

"But Dad," I began. He turned to me, and I saw how tired he was, and how much of a toll that this- him fighting for me to be able to live with him- was taking on my father. My protest died in my throat, and all I wanted to do was tell him how sorry I was. But instead what came out was, "Can Pepper stay with me? Outside the room, I mean?"

He smiled. "Of course she will. She loves you too, you know."

Maria Hill shook her head. Like she couldn't believe she was wasting her time on a little kid instead of helping direct SHIELD. But then, weirdly, she looked me in the eye and stated firmly, "As the Deputy Director of SHIELD, I'm telling you not to worry about this hearing, or this newspaper article. You looking scared or nervous tonight is not going to help us. I _will_ take care of this, and you _will_ be staying with Tony. Do you understand? There isn't a reason for you to be scared, because we are going to win."

I forced my jaw closed- for a second, it was almost like Maria Hill actually _liked_ having me around and wanted to reassure me - and nodded.

"Hey!" Bruce's voice sounded suddenly over the intercom. I jumped. Usually only Friday talked over the intercom. "Holly, Friday said you just got back. Tony, can I borrow her? I think I've got something that'll cheer her up."

Tony looked at me. "You want to go hang with Uncle Bruce for a while?" He knew that things were rocky between the Hulk and I, even though I never said anything.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be down in a minute", I said aloud.

"Hurry up!" Bruce replied.

My curiosity piqued. Bruce didn't normally sound this excited about anything. And he'd been short with me since Sokovia.

Bruce was waiting for me by the elevator on our workshop floor. "I want to take the nanomask off first," he explained. "Trust me, you'll want these guys to see your real face. This probably won't be the last time you'll talk to them."

I didn't want whoever was on the other end of the call to see my scars, but I didn't argue with him and stood as still as possibly while he peeled off the nanomask. I was glad that he didn't ask me if I was okay; I didn't want to talk about the article.

"Holly, meet Dr. Leopold Fitz and Dr. Jemma Simmons," he explained as I walked into the lab and faced a video monitor.

Jemma Simmons had been back from Maveth for nearly a week. The gravitational differences still threw her off, but that was nothing compared to the fact that Fitz appeared to be starstruck by a female scientist that wasn't her. Not that they were a couple… but considering Fitz had literally just gone to the other side of the universe for her, she hadn't expected him to be doe-eyed about some newly graduated academy cadet.

Fitz hadn't left her side since he'd pulled her back through the shattered Monolith. Not until this morning, when they'd been eating breakfast- the entire team, for the first time since she'd gotten off the desolate planet. Coulson had been reading a news article on his phone when suddenly he uncharacteristically spat Lucky Charms cereal all over the device.

"What?" the team had chorused. Except May, who just narrowed her eyes and tensed.

"Daisy, I'm sending you an article. You need to find out who wrote it- the very person- and find out where they got their information from." Agent Coulson looked up at them, but didn't seem to be seeing them. He finally focused on Fitz. "Holly Stark's life story has now been published."

Ah, Holly Stark. Jemma hadn't heard much about her; just that she was the bastard genius child of Tony Stark, and had met her father just before apparently helping the Avengers save the world from a mad AI a few months ago. She currently resided in Avengers Tower with her father and the rest of the Avengers team while they recouped and prepared to go to the compound. Although Jemma didn't know what the article said, she could tell from Coulson's voice that it wasn't good.

What had the child been through before meeting her father?

In silence, May, Daisy, Fitz, and herself all read the article. Despite none of them having the happiest of lives, Jemma couldn't help but feel sorry for the twelve year old genius. She'd been through Hell, (and although the news article didn't report it, Jemma of course knew she'd been kidnapped and taken to the Red Room by Hydra) and then Ultron had happened. The poor thing wasn't even a teenager yet, and had experienced more than enough trauma for a lifetime.

"Anything I can do to help her?" Fitz asked. Jemma looked curiously at him; Fitz had never expressed an interest in children before.

Coulson shook his head. "Not unless you want to help Daisy hack."

Fitz stood up, and without a backwards glance at Jemma, told Coulson, "I'll see what I can do."

Jemma finished her tea before heading to their lab, finding Fitz buried in code.

"Any luck?" She asked quietly, so she didn't startle him.

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "None. If anyone can do it, it's Daisy. Whoever did this, whoever sold the article to the Daily Bugle- they covered their tracks exceptionally well."

He looked at her and smiled as they locked eyes- the brilliant Fitz smile that could stop her heart. Or, as it had been doing lately, starting it up again.

"Hey, do you want to say thank you to the brilliant scientist that helped with the research to get you off the alien planet?" He asked suddenly, sounding enthusiastic. "I bet you we could set up a video call. Let me contact them, see if she's available. It'll make her feel better, if anything."

Her stomach fell. No, she did not want to see this woman that impressed Fitz. Not when she herself was broken and inadequate and felt so alone. But Fitz had looked so hopeful… and this scientist did deserve to be thanked. Jemma had read her research- it _was_ extraordinary.

"Yes!" Fitz hissed. "She's available."

Before Jemma could say another word, Fitz was already contacting her on the video screen.

There was an instant connection, and they suddenly heard a male voice. "Holly, meet Dr. Leopold Fitz. He was the scientist that you worked so hard to help a few weeks ago. There's someone that he'd like you to meet."

A small girl walked up to the screen, a suspicious look on her face. Behind her was Dr. Bruce Banner, one of the scientists that Jemma admired the most.

Fitz turned to her and smiled, taking her hand and pulling her closer to the screen before he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Jemma, this is Holly Stark. She's the scientist that did quite a lot of the research in regards to the Monolith being a portal. Holly, this is Dr. Jemma Simmons. You helped me save her life."

Now Jemma felt incredibly stupid for being jealous of a twelve year old, and for not trusting Fitz. It was incredibly that a child had written that report, even a child as precocious as this one.

But as much as the Stark child's research had impressed her, Jemma couldn't get past her appearance. Her hair was blonde, instead of black like the picture from the news articles- one of the SHIELD regulated color dye that Jemma herself had donned on a few occasions. Her face was sharp and angular, but not in a natural way, and it had poorly healed scars on it- likely from inadequate medical care. She had green eyes that looked dull and weary, with purple circles- likely from lack of sleep- under them. She couldn't comprehend how tortured Holly Stark looked. Jemma felt sick as she wondered how bad Holly had looked when Tony had first started caring for her.

"Hello, Ms. Stark," Jemma said quietly, as if talking too loud would somehow scare the girl. "Thank you so much for helping Fitz do the research to get me off Maveth."

Suddenly, Holly's dull eyes lit up. "You can call me Holly, if you'd like. Maveth? So it _is_ a place? I was right?" Then she immediately looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Dr. Simmons. That was rude to jump in and start asking questions like that. I'm glad you're okay." Her eyes flickered back to Jemma and then down again, worried.

Jemma remembered the article. Particularly about the years of abuse Stark had suffered from her mother and stepfather. From her medical knowledge, Jemma knew it was likely that Stark's learned behaviors from childhood were still engrained.

"It's okay to ask questions," Jemma heard Dr. Banner say gently from off the screen, a split second before Jemma was going to say that. "Just know that some may be too personal for them to answer. But they won't yell at you for asking them. They're nice. They're science nerds, too," he joked.

"You were absolutely correct. The Monolith led to a desolate planet, Maveth. Your research was exquisite," Jemma said when Holly nervously looked up, but she didn't say anything else. "I read some of it. You're twelve, and you analyze and draw conclusions while researching like you have more PhDs than Fitz and I combined."

"I'm twelve and a half, pretty much," Holly contradicted automatically. Jemma got a feeling her age was a sore spot. Fitz and her exchanged a look- they knew that feeling. Holly hesitated. "I'm sorry for asking right away before telling you I'm glad you were okay. Your boyfriend was real worried about you, from what Dad says. So...how many PhDs do you have? What are they in?"

Fitz smiled and took her hand, not bothering to correct Holly. "I'm engineering, she's biochem."

Jemma added, "We got our degrees at university, but now we could have gone to the prep academy to get them. We joined SHIELD when we were seventeen by going to the Academy."

"Science and Tech Division," Fitz added.

Holly's expression changed and Jemma cracked a smile. It was so obvious what Holly was feeling- confusion- and Jemma realized how much she had missed being able to know the truth about what people were thinking. Being around agents and spies twenty-four/seven was exhausting.

Sure enough, Holly asked, "Academy? Prep academy? What?"

Behind Holly's head, Dr. Banner closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The Avengers apparently hadn't told Holly details about a potential career path in SHIELD. Based on her appearance, Jemma could deduce it was probably because she still suffered trauma from Sokovia. But based on comments from Coulson, so did all of the Avengers. The only difference was that she was a child.

Because of Dr. Banner's expression, both Jemma and Fitz hesitated. Holly crossed her arms and turned to him. "Bruce? You guys didn't say anything about an academy, just that I was too young to join and not trained enough. What's up?"

"Holly," Dr. Banner sighed. "You've got enough on your plate right now with CPS. Not to mention with your mutant status, it'd be tricky to get you admitted. And there's a lot of tests you have to pass to get in, not to mention the health physical. Undoing the effects of starvation takes awhile. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to feel pressured into doing it because you thought that it's the path to go, or that we expected you to go. Do you understand?"

Holly scowled a little and shrugged. "I wish you guys didn't keep stuff from me." A funny expression crossed her face before smoothing over into a poker face, and Jemma got a bad feeling that Holly was keeping something from the Avengers. But it might be as simple as the details of her experience being abused. "I understood why you did, I guess. But can they _tell_ me about the academy? Please?"

Jemma thought that it was interesting how Holly was asking permission to find out about the academy- she clearly respected the Avengers as authority figures. But it wasn't like she was afraid to do something without permission.

Bruce grinned. "Oh, sure, pretend like if I said no, you wouldn't go and hack to find out about it anyway."

Holly's poker face stayed, except for small smirk. So it wasn't a commander-soldier authority respect; it was a parent- or uncle, Jemma supposed- child respect.

Dr. Banner looked back at Fitz and Simmons, still smiling. "Go ahead, guys." He turned back to Stark. "Holly, you can stay in here and talk to them, but I've got to get back to work on research. And remember, Dr. Fitz and Dr. Simmons are busy people, and they probably can't talk long."

So they told her about the Academy, about research projects they did. Holly asked intelligent questions- sure, she _looked_ young, but it was obvious that she wasn't a child intellectually. Jemma couldn't believe how much this kid could _talk._ And for someone that had been neglected and abused for most of her life, Jemma and Fitz were amazed at how freely she spoke, except for the few times she broke off, muted the mic, and then would turn to ask Bruce something before revealing more information about herself and her life in Avengers Tower. And they both reckoned that she was asking if it was okay for her to tell them 'secret' information, despite that Jemma and Fitz likely had just as high clearance levels as the Avengers now.

"Sorry," Holly apologized again after the first time it happened. "I don't really know what I'm allowed to say or not to certain people. But Bruce said I can trust you guys and can tell you anything, since you're SHIELD agents, too. So yeah, I'm at this high school undercover, and my lab partner and me are building this device for a science fair. He's trying to win a scholarship for college."

"Isn't that kind of cheating, if you're doing it for him?" Fitz asked.

"I was worried about that at first. But to be honest, Peter's really smart. I wouldn't go as far to say he's smarter than me, but if he was shoved through high school like I was, then he'd probably have graduated way early, too."

"So what are you two doing your project on?" Jemma asked. She and Fitz, realizing that this wouldn't just be a five minute conversation, had both sat down on stools in front of the screen. Jemma had to admit, she really liked talking to Holly. Holly didn't know what Jemma was like before Maveth, Holly wasn't watching her to see if Jemma was broken. Holly had to be reminded several times to call them Jemma and Fitz or Fitzsimmons instead of "Dr.' or "Sir' or 'Ma'am', but after about an hour she finally got used to it.

Holly frowned and leaned on Dr. Banner's desk, her chin on her hands. "We're creating a cloaking device that's made for a single person. At first it was an object, but Peter thought that it'd be cooler to do it for a person. But I'm running into a major problem. The Arc Reactor could power it, but I can't exactly blow my cover by bringing in an Arc Reactor, even though I know how to make one."

Jemma and Fitz were exchanging perplexed glances at this point. Fitz had made cloaking technology for the Bus, sure; but he hadn't been twelve.

Before Fitz could start to rattle off suggestions about how to power it, a voice called, "Holly, I found out about the article and came back from the meeting as soon as I could. I brought you some lunch. Where are you?"

"I'm in Bruce's lab," Holly called back. "Guess what- I met some new fri_" She broke off quickly, looking panicked. "Agents!" she finished. She hopped up and dashed off screen for a second, before coming back with a woman donning ginger hair, a blazer, a skirt, and high heels.

"Jemma, Fitz, this is Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, Dad's girlfriend, and the only reason the Avengers actually manage to get anything done," Holly announced grandly. "Pepper, this is Fitz, and this is Jemma, the one that got eaten by a rock!"

"Holly!" Pepper said quickly, glancing apologetically at Jemma. "Dr. Simmons, I'm glad you're alright."

Jemma couldn't help but laugh a little at Holly's introduction, despite the crude description of her trip to Maveth. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Potts."

Fitz echoed the sentiment.

"Holly, you can eat down here, but make sure you wash your hands. And wash them in your lab, please, you deal with less chemicals than Bruce does." Pepper watched Holly exit the lab, then turned back to Fitz and Jemma. "Sorry about that. She's really polite most of the time, but when she gets excited…"

"It's quite all right," Jemma assured Pepper.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to her. She… well, unfortunately, besides myself and the Avengers, she doesn't really have very many people to talk to. And she sees us more as authority figures," Pepper explained.

Jemma smiled. "Of course. She's a great kid- you and Mr. Stark are doing a great job with her."

Pepper sighed. "We're trying. The psychological effects of the Red Room and the Ultron Offensive, mixed with her own past… well, you can look at her and see how she's coping. Now that this damn article is out… honestly, if you two weren't talking science with her, she'd probably be panicking."

Fitz nodded sympathetically.

Jemma got an idea. "If you don't mind, and she wants to, she's welcome to come here and visit sometime. I know she almost slipped up and said we were friends, so she probably would want to. We could show her our lab, the Zephyr, and she could meet some SHIELD agents-"

"Respectfully, I don't think that's a good idea any time soon." Jemma was surprised at how disappointed she was. "We want to try to make things as normal as possible for her- and I know that your team gets into situations quite a bit. It's nothing against you, but I don't know how much more she can take."

"I agree," Fitz said. "But if you'd ever change your mind- or you'd like us to come there- we'd be glad to."

"Back!" They heard Holly exclaim before she bounced back into the screen's view. "Pepper, I didn't think you could get off work in the middle of the day."

Pepper smiled. "Well, I'm the CEO. I can do whatever I wanted, I just had to reschedule some meetings."

Holly frowned. "I'm sorry, you didn't have to_"

Pepper interrupted her. "Yes, I did. Now if you don't eat the pizza, I will." Holly's expression turned into one of mock panic as she opened the box. "I know you're not a fan of vegetable," Pepper began.

Holly quickly shook her head. "Pepper, you just got me food, and you're letting me eat it in the lab! It's great. Thank you."

After the three ate (Jemma quickly made her and Fitz some sandwiches) the rest of the afternoon passed by with Holly showing them some of the tech she had made or helped make, including her Iron Man suit and an impressive display of Artificial Intelligence, which Holly referred to as 'my friend, Nova'. Remembering what Pepper had said, Jemma felt a tug on her heart when she realized that out of all of the humans in the universe, an AI was this brilliant person's best friend.

"I've only worn the suit for the Ultron Offensive," Holly explained as she walked out of the weapon of mass destruction. "I kinda like fighting without it better. But it doesn't matter. The Avengers won't let me go on missions." She scowled.

"Only because we're afraid that you'll show the rest of us up," a voice, not Dr. Banner's or Pepper's, called from off the screen.

Holly's face lit up and she ran out of view. "Clint! Natasha! You're back!" Jemma heard her yell. "Where were you?"

Jemma and Fitz gaped at each other. Hawkeye and Black Widow?

"That's classified, shorty, sorry," Jemma heard who she assumed to be Hawkeye say.

"Ugh. Well, come over here, Nat, look who I'm video calling!"

Natasha and Clint's faces appeared on their screen. "I'm so glad you're back, Agent Simmons," Natasha said, smiling. It was kind of strange to see Black Widow smile.

"Thank you, Agent Romanoff."

"You've got to get ready for your hearing, kid, it's almost time," Clint told her. "We'll be waiting for you upstairs."

"You guys are going with me?" Holly asked them, gnawing on her lip.

"Why do you think we came home from the mission early?" Clint asked, flicking her ear. "We're not exactly going to be with you during the hearing, but we'll be around for security. We'll meet you upstairs, shorty."

Holly turned back to the screen, her enthusiasm gone. "Can we talk again soon? Dad's awesome, but it's nice to talk science with new people."

Jemma smiled. "Yeah, of course. And thank you again."

Holly shrugged. "I didn't even really do anything."

Fitz shook his head. "Are you kidding? You were a part of the team that saved her. That's huge. No, maybe you weren't the, you know, Captain America of the team or something, but none of us really are- that's how teams work. You don't need to be the big shot to be important. You helped save her life. Do you understand?"

Holly looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Fitz smiled. "Good. It was nice to talk to you in person, Holly."

"Good luck at the hearing," Jemma added.

Holly waved, and then the screen flashed back to the SHIELD symbol as she disconnected the call.


	40. The Hearing

I had on some stupid bedazzled jeans and fancy long sleeved blouse that Pepper had made me wear. My hair was down, spray dyed back to my natural black, my nanomask was off. The only things that kept me from feeling completely vulnerable were my Converse high-tops, which Pepper let me keep on, my black backpack which I had brought so I could do 'schoolwork', and Nova, which was in the glasses I insisted on wearing.

We had driven one of Tony's cars to the hearing, which was taking place in an office on the top floor of a skyscraper. I didn't know where the other Avengers were- just that they were all disguised and stationed somewhere nearby. On the way here, Maria Hill gave me the lowdown. "They can take you and place you with a foster home today- it's 50/50. If they decide that Tony's home is unsuitable, they will place you until there can be a trial. The judge may or may not ask you something. Be completely, 100% honest with him, don't worry about revealing something secret from SHIELD. Just tell the truth."

So now I was sitting next to Pepper in the annex of the room they were having the hearing in. Tony and Maria had walked in there and hadn't walked out, and no one else had entered. I hadn't taken off my backpack, so I was perched on the edge of the chair and was chewing the hell out of my nails. Meeting and talking science with Jemma and Fitz was a great distraction, they were kind and intelligent people, but now that I wasn't focused anymore, I felt sick with exhaustion and nerves- had I really been fighting alongside the Defenders just over twelve hours ago?

We'd been waiting for about a half hour, and I had bitten all of the nails on my left hand to the quick and was about to start chomping on my right when Pepper looked up from the laptop and noticed what I was doing. Without preamble, she softly took my hand, probably more to keep me from more self-cannibalism than for comfort. "It'll be okay, sweetheart," she told me quietly.

Pepper was so different with me when I was nervous or scared. Normally she was sarcastic, sassy, and witty- I supposed that you had to be, to date my dad. Usually she was witty with me, too. But right now, there was nothing but care in her tone.

Part of me wanted to snap that she didn't know that. That the odds were more likely to point towards me going into foster care for the time being. The other part of me wanted her to hug me until I believed that everything was going to be okay. I was way too old for that, though. Even if my entire life was on the line.

But then, when I didn't say anything, she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and backpack and pulled me closer to her. I rested my head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you and Tony through," I whispered, my voice a little choked up.

"You're worth it. We'll fight for you, always. Even if you're just as much of a heathen as Tony."

I laughed a little. "I don't think your heart could take a mini-Tony."

"For you, it absolutely could."

I didn't understand how I could feel safe, waiting for someone to come and tell me if I was going to be taken from the only people that had ever cared about me, but somehow Pepper had made that possible.

I didn't realize that I'd fallen asleep on Pepper's shoulder until I heard the door opening. Between the nightmares and my mission last night, I was wiped out. But when that door opened, I was awake in an instant, sitting up and searching for any clue of what had went down. Pepper had removed my fake glasses, placing them on the seat next to her. Thankfully I saw them; I snatched them up and threw them onto my face, activating Nova as I did so.

Tony and Maria Hill walked out into the annex, the door closing with a sharp snap behind them.

I saw the look on their faces and knew what had happened. I knew it.

I jumped up, ripped my hand out of Pepper's and sprinted to the fire exit, my heavy backpack banging against my shoulder blades.

Nova began the contingency plan that I had hoped I wasn't going to have to use. She turned off my bangles and I jumped clean off the rusty stairs, using my mutation to make the particles I fell through thicker, like water. So I fell slower, but unfortunately, I still fell pretty hard, and my landing was clumsy. My ankles absorbed the shock when I hit the cobblestone alley, three stories below, but the momentum forced me into a roll. I stopped facedown, smacked my palms on the pavement and launched myself up, running like a bat out of Hell.

My shoes pounded the pavement as I travelled through the alleys behind the skyscrapers, and I wondered if I should just deploy the Iron Shorty suit and fly out of there. After all, I wasn't disguised as Haleigh Stone right now, I was me. But no; I didn't want the world to know I had a suit on me, and I could be better off blending in.

From the side, I was tackled. How stupid could I have been, not to put cameras so Nova could see what was to the left and right of me?

The attacker dragged me to my feet and I realized it wasn't an attacker at all, just Natasha. Of course- the Avengers wouldn't just be there for security- they would also there to prevent me from escaping if things went south. They figured I'd be better off in foster care than in the streets. Traitors.

Natasha wrapped her arms around me, containing me as I struggled, but she never used her Widow's Bite. It took me a second to realize that she wasn't betraying me, wasn't revealing my location. Instead, she was frantically asking, "We lost? Tony lost custody of you?"

"Yes!" I managed to get out in a wild half-gasp, half-sob.

Natasha hugged me tighter for a moment, then let go. "Run. Get somewhere safe. Contact us when you're out of the city and well hidden. Don't go through Hell's Kitchen- it's not safe, and you'll be noticed. Go through Central Park and blend in with the crowds!"

I nodded, not sure how to say goodbye.

"Go!"

I sprinted through back alleys, used my mutation to climb onto rooftops and make the air between thick so I could run across them, and tried to keep myself from panicking or crying. Without Nova directing me, I would have no idea where I was going. I was doing the particle manipulation automatically; it was easy, with adrenaline spiked.

A message flashed across my lenses- it wasn't from Nova. It was from Tony.

 **Kid, we didn't lose the hearing! Where are you? -Dad**

I stopped in my tracks, pressing my back against a tree in Central Park. Was it a trap?

But Tony wouldn't have a reason to trap me.

 **Should I send your location?** Nova asked. I nodded, too out of breath to speak.

It took them less than two minutes to find me; Natasha must have said she had told me to go through Central Park.

Pepper hugged me first. She kept trying to speak, but choking off, like she didn't know what to say. Eventually she just kissed the top of my head and released me.

Tony pulled me into a hug before my lungs got a chance to recover from Pepper squeezing the air out of them. "I'm sorry, kid, I didn't know you'd jump to conclusions and run- I was trying to stay professional in front of the judge and the opposition. This is not the celebration I wanted. Maria is bringing over the papers tomorrow."

"What?" I asked, still gasping from my frenzied sprint.

"I'm officially your legal guardian," Tony said with a grin. "No escaping the crazy now."

I shook my head, still breathing heavily. "But… the news story…"

"Maria Hill turned it around. Spun it that the only way you'd be able to grow into a functioning adult is to continue the caregiver relationship that you've begun with me and the Avengers, and placing you in foster care would ruin any trust you've been able to develop. We owe her," Tony explained. "And it didn't hurt that we compiled a bunch of clips of you interacting with us." Tony told me."Judge loved seeing the personal lives of the Avengers."

I grinned. "You mean he's a fanboy?"

Tony didn't say anything, but smirked a little. "Come on, kid. Let's go home. They're planning a party now, but we're stopping for ice cream. Celebratory ice cream is necessary, even if it is before dinner," Tony said, shooting an innocent grin at Pepper.

As I walked into Stark Tower- my permanent home, now- the Avengers were all assembled. Rhodes was also there, and I smiled sheepishly at them all. But before I could say anything, Bruce demanded, "What the hell was your plan?"

Everyone went quiet. My stomach felt like it dropped through my butt.

"Is that what you do when things go wrong? Jump off high things? What if Nova couldn't turn off your bracelets in time? What if you wouldn't have been able to focus enough to work your mutation?" His eyes flashed green and I stepped back.

"Bruce_" Tony began, stepping in front of me.

"And then what was your plan when you actually got away? You're twelve! You_"

"I am not helpless," I snapped at him, tired and crabby and sick of people thinking that I just ran around making dumb decisions. "I made it from Tempe to Malibu okay when I was on my own," I added quietly, seeing the green in Bruce's eyes. If possible, the tension in the room got even higher. "I know that I've made some mistakes, and you guys think probably think I'm a dumb kid, but-"

"I don't think that. Holly, what's in your backpack right now?" Natasha interrupted me.

I knew what she had figured out, what she was getting at- the suit- but the suit wasn't the only thing in there, and I had the Stark smirk on my face as I ripped the pack off and unzipped it before turning it upside down.

Out clattered a prepaid, untraceable tracphone, my tool kit that I'd brought from Tempe, jeans and a black long sleeve t-shirt, a set of thermal underclothing including gloves that would be efficient to a -40 windchill factor, four different nanomasks that were different ethnicities (not useful in the summer, since they would only change your face, but put on gloves and a jacket and in the winter you were fine) birth certificates and passports to go with the different identities, and a garbage bag.

"No money, weapons, food, or medicine? And what's this about the garbage bag?" Bruce asked in disgust.

I shrank back, voice gone. But I noticed that Natasha and Clint were nodding in approval, and I shot back, "All other stuff, you can steal. I know, because I've done it. And that garbage bag is the most essential thing I could have grabbed. You get wet, you get cold, thermal clothes or not. Sleeping on the ground, dew happens." I shrugged at the looks they gave me. "What? Experience. All I really should have grabbed when I ran the first time was a garbage bag."

Bruce seemed to have gotten a grip on himself. Or at least he was able to act like he did. "Where were you going to go?"

"I was planning to find a safe place where I could hide out for a bit before contacting you. If I couldn't, contact you for whatever reason, then I would find Deadpool," I blurted out before I remembered that they did not know I really knew the Merc. Oh, shit.

All the adults in the room groaned simultaneously as I flushed. "Out of all the SHIELD agents you've met- Fury, Hill, Coulson, and now Fitzsimmons- you go for a mercenary who you met once?" Tony asked flatly, turning around to face me.

My mind raced a million miles an hour as I tried to think of a way to cover my butt. "He saved my life. A few weeks ago, I broke into SHIELD's database. I wanted to know more about Ajax's workshops. Deadpool and me are the only two that have ever escaped. I don't know how my mutation will progress- if it will eventually kill me or what. I know you're looking into it. But besides you guys, he's the only other one that would be able to help.

"Makes sense to me," Wanda shrugged. Everyone turned to look at her, and I knew exactly what they were thinking- this was why they didn't let kids into the Avengers, they were crazy. "What? He's the only one that we know of that's the same- not species- but variety of mutant."

"I was only going to locate him if for whatever reason you guys lost and didn't want to find me," I finally finished quietly.

Pepper hugged my shoulders. "Good thing us not wanting you would never happen."

I cringed away, uncomfortable. I've never given them a reason to want me, and clearly I'd given everyone heart attacks.

"I'm sorry for running away," I mumbled. "I just thought that it'd be better than letting them put me in a home. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, considering we still keep Tony around," Steve added, smiling slightly. "Good job with making a contingency plan."

"Except remind me to program Nova with a list of emergency numbers to call," Tony muttered under his breath. "That Merc won't make the top twenty."

The awkwardness was broken by the arrival of Chinese food and Rhodey's announcement that he'd brought an old Nintendo GameCube out of 'retirement' for his first 'niece'.

Holly was almost as confused as Steve at first, but accepted the present without much protest. After they finished eating, Rhodes unnecessarily showed her how to hook up to the TV, she looked at the games he provided and shyly asked him if they could have a Mario Kart competition. After a half hour of furious competition where they all took turns, Tony worried for the safety of his tower. Natasha had already thrown Clint halfway across the living room twice- once for hitting her with a banana, and the other for nailing her with a blue shell when she was about to win. Thor had gripped his hammer dangerously after Bruce had thrown lightning and Thor was then run over by the kart driven by the culprit, like he wanted to show Bruce what would it really be like if he was struck by lightning.

Tony would normally be all into this type of competition, but instead he stayed back with Pepper, helping her clean up the kitchen.

When they finished doing the dishes, Pepper hugged him around the middle from behind. "So, what're you thinking?" She whispered to him, setting her chin on his shoulder.

Tony turned around and kissed her cheek. "Best day of my life," he answered. "I'm glad I can stop worrying about social services now, at least. One worry crossed off out of a million. But Holly is safe, she seems to be getting along well at school, and she's adjusting better than anyone could have expected to life as a mutant. Well, besides those nightmares."

He turned around and wrapped his arms around Pepper. After a moment, he let go and sighed. "The funny thing is, when these guys moved in, after awhile I didn't think it'd be possible for me to be happier than I was with them being around, with being part of a team. Then you and I… made our relationship better, and I was happier. Then Holly came. And it happened again… she brought something to my life I had no idea that I was missing, you know? But she's got those nightmares, and we all know that mental trauma takes longer to heal," he drained his glass and put it in the sink, finished after one drink. His thirty-year-old self would be appalled. "I'm just waiting for the roof to fall in and something else to happen." Before Pepper could say anything else, he shook his head and smiled. "At least no one can take her from us now. In fact, the only single thing wrong with this day is the adoption papers."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Tony Stark would become a father," Pepper teased. "Surely you can wait one more day for you to be her official legal guardian."

Tony couldn't even give his trademark smirk, his grin was so big. Instead, he put his hand on the small of Pepper's back. "No, the time isn't the problem. The problem is that they wouldn't let me put you as her guardian as well, not until we either marry or Holly is okay with it."

Pepper's face fell. "You know I'm not her mother, Tony. Holly already had a mother, and remembers her, and_"

Tony put his other hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me. Tell me how you feel about Holly."

"I love her, of course, but_"

"Even though she's not yours. Even though she's living proof that I slept with another woman. You love her unconditionally."

"Tony, I used to kick all your one night stands out the next morning. I know you've slept with other women. And yes, of course I love her, but so do all of the other Avengers_"

"Tell me what you feel when you look at her," Tony requested quietly, gesturing at the preteen girl who was now showboating as Clint complained, "she's whooping all of us, and she's the only one here that doesn't have her license!"

Pepper and Tony both laughed a little before Pepper's smile faded and she blurted out, "Worry. And fear."

That was not the answer that Tony was expecting. "What?"

"Every single time she leaves for school, I worry. Every time she's talking to Nova in the workshop instead of a kid her own age, I worry. When she sits in her chair at breakfast half asleep, I worry. I worry because she might get hurt, she might be lonely, she might be scared. And I'd do anything to keep her from feeling that way, but I can't, and I'm so afraid for her. I'm afraid we won't be able to protect her. I'm worried she'll go into your line of work and get killed!"

Tony hugged Pepper and didn't let go.

"She scares me," Pepper added after a minute. "I can't help her grow like I've helped Stark Industries. I thought it was difficult to do that, but raising Holly? I've helped you with a lot of things, Tony, but it's been three and a half months, and I don't know how to help you raise her."

Tony chuckled and kissed Pepper's forehead. "Every parent has said that, Pep. We just do our best. And she loves you, too, you know. Look at her."

Again, they turned back towards his- their- daughter. She was letting Thor take a turn, now, and cheering him on.

"We'll do it together," Tony said, taking her hand.


	41. Origins

On the first night that I was officially adopted, I slept without having any dreams, at least not ones I remembered. I woke up, trained hard with Steve and Natasha, and actually ate enough breakfast that Pepper didn't have to threaten or wheedle me into eating more. For the first time ever, I really just wanted to get out of Stark Tower- I needed to talk to Peter.

I fist bumped Tony and hugged Pepper, before I left for school, a huge grin on my face. I couldn't believe it, but it _was_ starting to sink in a little bit- I was staying here, with Tony, with my _father_ , who actually wanted me. I couldn't remember ever feeling better, or safer, than I did right now. I was staying with Tony.

But for once, I couldn't help but be impatient for Natasha and I to get to school.

"What gives, Haleigh?" Natasha asked, amusement lacing her tone, as I squirmed around in my seat on the subway. "You've never wanted to go to school before."

"The work on our science project is going really good," I explained. More the person who I was working with than the project itself, but whatever. "I'm staying after school longer than usual today to work on it, if that's okay?"

"I'll ask your father and text you to let you know," Natasha promised.

Really, I didn't need to stay after school for the project, since we were going to work on it during school, but I figured that I should meet with Deadpool and let him know that I didn't meet 'his girl Death'. Aka, that I had lived, that busting the child traffickers had been a success.

Peter and I met in the empty chemistry classroom during lunch- but it turned out he'd assembled most of the shell of the device yesterday. I felt guilty, but he assured me it was fine- we had more important things to talk about.

So, with the lights off and the cheap plastic window blinds snapped shut, he told me everything. The 'Spider-Man Origin Story', as he called it, laughing without humor.

His parents were killed when he was five- he'd lived with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben since. His Uncle Ben had died just a few months ago, shot in a carjacking, and I could tell by his face that Peter blamed himself. He told me how he was picked on and bullied before he got his powers. How he was trying to get an internship with Stark Industries (I mentally noted to ask Pepper to look into it) but after he got his 'Spider Powers', he wasn't sure if he'd have the time anymore because he spent most afternoons and nights fighting petty crime. No wonder why the guy looked as tired as I usually felt. He described some of the fights he'd been in, and I was impressed- I got the feeling he wasn't talking himself up, and if anything, he was talking himself down. But the description of his powers startled me the most. It just wasn't scientifically _possible_ for someone to crawl up walls and be able to stick and unstick their hands at will, or have a 'Spider-Sense'.

I tried not to look too disbelieving, but after he finished, he took one look at my expression and slumped his shoulders.

"Yeah, I know it sounds pretty crazy. I guess… well, just watch." He showed me his bare hands, and then crawled onto the ceiling.

My jaw dropped as I was shown the impossible. "That's… my origin story… isn't as…" I struggled to find the words after I'd put my eyeballs back into my head.

Peter did a flip and landed on his feet, smiling and waiting for me to say something.

While I tried to gather my thoughts, one thing that kept sticking out was that Peter had not just one set of loving parents, but also his Uncle Ben, taken away from him. That was awful- At least with my mom and stepdad, I knew that they didn't care about me, so although losing my mom was still devastating, I was used to being alone. To my mom and stepdad, I was nothing special, genius or no. Peter's aunt, the way he described it, seemed to love him more than life itself, and she didn't know he was special.

A nasty thought crept into my brain. Tony and the Avengers, would they care about me if I wasn't a genius or a mutant? Peter was hiding the Spider side of him from everybody, and his aunt loved him. When no one knew I was special, everyone hated me.

Unsure of what to say, I finally gathered my thoughts enough to growl, "Well, you know my story already, anyway, since they published it."

"I'd rather hear it from you. Even if you think I already know it." He gave me a small smile, and that was all I needed to tell the story. Maybe I needed to hear it, too. Maybe it'd seem more real.

"I'm from Tempe, Arizona. I'm actually twelve." I wracked my brains. How much did I want to tell him?

Then I decided, the Hell with it. I _could_ tell him everything. He couldn't throw me out of my home. He couldn't beat me for disobeying and training with Deadpool.

So I told him. About growing up in Tempe with people who didn't care about me, who regularly locked me in a closet and forgot about me. About how I'd purposely hide a small flashlight and textbooks in that closet, so I could read or do homework- anything to pass the time. About my mom drinking herself to death. When I had no other option but to run away to Malibu. About how the Avengers taught me, then about how I was kidnapped. I told him, through gritted teeth, how Francis had mutated me and how the man with the metal arm had tortured me. About how I was rescued by Deadpool, Clint, Natasha, and my father. About SHIELD, and Fury, and disobeying him to go to Sokovia. About home life now, Deadpool, the Defenders. I ended it with telling him about winning the hearing last night.

I was staring at my beat-up Converse for most of the story, but I kept peeking out of the corner of my eye to gauge his reaction. I never once saw pity in his face; anger when the bad stuff happened and grins when I talked about learning and living with the Avengers. Once I got a 'that is _so_ cool!' when I described my workshop. But otherwise, he just intently listened.

When I was done, I nervously waited for him to say something. He hadn't acted weirded out, but who knew?

For a few seconds, Peter just stared at me. "Our lives have pretty much sucked," he said finally. "Well, yours has a happy ending. And hey, even if being Peter and Holly suck, at least being Spider-Man and… what do they call you?"

"I wouldn't call mine a happy ending yet," I told him bluntly, ignoring his question of my 'superhero' name. "Everyone's all stressed out about the backlash of Sokovia, Bruce is shut up in his lab all day doing research, Thor and Jane keep going to Asgard. I think they're looking for something to do with the mind stone," I mused aloud. "But I don't really get to see them. But that's okay, I mean, when they're there, it's fun."

"What about Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Mr. Stark?" He asked. "Do they just wait around Avengers Tower for a mission?"

I hated it when people called it Avengers Tower, but I didn't tell Peter that. It reminded me that the Avengers, at any given _second,_ could be deployed for a mission that someone could be hurt. "Steve and my Dad go to someplace that has a bunch of SHIELD people in it every day. They don't tell me what they do, but I think Dad designs tech and Steve helps them strategize. Clint usually is with his family during the week, but him and Natasha just got back from a mission. To be honest… I have no idea what she does during the day. Hang out with Bruce, maybe? Natasha usually trains Wanda when Steve works out with me. And Pepper runs Stark Industries, of course. The Vision usually goes with Tony or helps Bruce. He kinda intimidates me."

"Why?" Peter asked. I noticed that he was still hanging onto every word.

I thought for a minute, organizing my thoughts, before slowly answering. "Because he doesn't like me, I don't think. I don't actually think he likes kids, to be honest. And when he used to be Jarvis, I disabled him, and he never got over it."

Peter laughed before realizing I was serious. "Um, okay. So I've asked you a million questions by now. You got any for me?"

I thought for a second before blurting out one that's been bothering me. "I mean, you can take down your bullies any time you want to. Why don't you? Why do you let them pick on you?"

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, but Peter and I didn't move.

Peter frowned. I'd hit a sensitive spot. "Well, I couldn't do it before I got bitten. They called me Puny Parker for a reason," he said, looking ashamed. Even though he'd basically said it earlier, I now understood- while he liked being Spider-Man, he didn't like being Peter Parker. For some reason, that bothered me. "So I don't think I should do it after because there are people out there that hate Spider-Man because he's put them or their family in jail. If anyone finds out I'm Spider-Man, Aunt May could be in danger. Uncle Ben… he died because of me. I don't want anyone else to. You know?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I get it. My mother… same thing." I don't think I'd ever understood a human being so clearly as Peter Parker, or had someone actually understand me. People started to trickle into the chemistry classroom, and we both jumped up and hastily shoved plans and machine parts into our backpacks.

Before we split for our respective classes, I hesitated and put my hand out. This was so awkward. How did normal people make friends?

Peter looked a bit confused, but then took my hand and we shook. "Fri_ allies?" I asked, chickening out last minute, my tone a combination of hope and trepidation.

Peter scoffed. "No way. Friends. See ya, Stone!" He raced off, and I dropped my hand. First Fitz-Simmons, now Parker? I had some weird friends.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I realized what I'd just thought.

Besides finally having a friend, I realized how much better I felt when I realized that I'd told someone my life story and they didn't look at me like a freak- or worse, with pity. The weight of my past was still beating me down, but it hurt a little less.

Of course, I stopped smiling as soon as I walked into history class. Today he was having us all pick a historical figure out of an Abraham Lincoln-style hat. Then we had to do a project on them, including their personal lives and how they had an impact on the world.

I didn't think too much of it at first. I figured I wouldn't even bother turning it in. In this school, they didn't seem to care about what you did or didn't do, you never got into trouble for not turning stuff in, so I hadn't turned in any homework since before I helped research the Monolith. The teachers didn't care, so why would I bother? I already had a diploma. There was much more important stuff going on in my life.

We had to read off the name and era of the historical figure. The first few people to pick got the obvious ones- Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Cleopatra.

When it was my turn, I was secretly hoping for Galileo. Space has always interested me; before my stepfather smacked me with reality, I'd wanted to work for NASA. But when I reached into the hat and read the name, I couldn't hide my irritation. For crying out loud.

"Howard Stark. World War II. Who wants to trade?" I asked.

Immediately everyone who'd already picked hands went up. The Avengers-mania that Mr. Denniss portrayed had clearly spread to the students as well. Or maybe they just actually were this popular.

"No trades, Ms. Stone. I'm sorry," he turned to go to the next student, looking highly affronted that I'd insulted the father of one of his damn action figures.

"Then I'm not doing the project," I blurted out as I continued to read the paper and discovered that part of the paper I had to write needed to have at least four pages be about _Captain America_ and the super-soldier serum, but only two that needed to be about 'Iron Man', and 'prodigy Holly Stark has to be included in this section' _. The hell? More Steve than Tony? I know Howard did a lot of the work with Erksine on the serum, but why so much about Captain America?_ Not to mention, there only had to be a paragraph about his personal details and one about Stark Industries. This wasn't a project about Howard.

"What's your deal with Howard Stark?"

"My deal isn't with Howard Stark, although he was a over-rated, useless _jerk_ ," I snapped, remembering Pepper telling me that Tony was trying his best, despite not having a good example to follow. "It's that this assignment is crap. It's not researching about Howard's accomplishments in the war effort and how it relates to history. It's a project about his personal life and his descendants just because you're obsessed with the Avengers!" My face was red right now, and I was more thankful than ever for the bangles, because my temper had just gone through the roof. This was such a little thing- I should just shut up and do the project. Or not even turn it in. Why was I so angry?

The room was dead quiet. I didn't understand why I was on my feet.

Mr. Denniss' face was purple, and he matched my glare. "Office, Stone. Now!"

I picked up my backpack, kicked over my chair, and stalked out. Whatever.

I was much less nonchalant about my punishment as I walked down to the office.

 **What are you going to tell Tony?** Nova scolded me. **That you were upset because you had to do a project that's basically about your family? Come on, Holly, you even have to admit that you just threw a fit for no reason. And now, they're going to call Steve and Natasha and_**

I shut off my glasses, not willing to look at the chastising messages anymore. I was sure the Avengers would have it in for me when I got home.

And suddenly, that was all it took for me to be literally shaking in my shoes. I'd never caused this much trouble _purposely_ for them. Tony was my _legal guardian_ now. Was he going to beat me, hurt me?

Scared and ashamed, I tried to fight the unwelcome lump in my throat as I headed to the office. I'd been through torture. Getting in trouble at high school should be nothing. I was halfway to the office when my phone started to buzz in my pocket. The school must have already contacted Tony. Gingerly, I took out my phone, wondering what I would say in my defense, wondering if Tony would yell.

I answered without checking caller ID. "Hello?"

The sarcastic voice caused my thoughts to do a complete one-eighty. "Avengers Princess! Meet me outside your school in thirty seconds and get ready to dive into the car! Backseat, you are too short to ride shotgun!"

I fumbled with my glasses, turned them back on. Nova should hear what Deadpool was saying. " _What?_ "

"I found Francis. He's… he's… if we don't stop him, he's going to kill or mutate someone else," Deadpool choked out. I'd never heard the Merc sound scared before.

"Where are we going?"

"You in or out, Princess? I'm fifteen seconds away now. If you're going to chicken out, do it now so I can just keep driving!"

Nova knew exactly what was going on now. **You better not,** She flashed on my glasses.

 _Sorry, Nova,_ I thought. "Heading to the front of the school now. I swear you'd better slow down some if you expect me to dive in." I hung up on Deadpool.

I might have sounded brave, but in reality I was scared witless.

I checked to make sure no one was around before addressing Nova. The last thing I needed was for people to think I was insane. "Nova, before you yell at me more, call the Avengers. Let them know what I'm doing."

 **Seriously?**

I didn't answer her. I wouldn't have said it in the first place if I wasn't serious. Yeah, originally Deadpool had goaded me into thinking that the two of us should take him alone. But now that there was another person's life on the line… if the Defenders had taught me anything the other night, it was that you couldn't be too careful. Maybe if I'd called them in then, Sean would still be alive...

After ditching everything but my wallet, phone, and my now seemingly empty backpack in my locker, I ran out of the school, only a minute from the time when my phone first rung. Again, I marveled over how stupidly easy it was to just leave. There was a surprisingly nice red Ford Fusion out front, the masked Merc behind the wheel. "Get in!" He screamed at me. Disobeying his earlier directions, I hopped in the front seat. I hadn't even started to close the door before he gunned it out of the parking lot.

"He's got my girl. We're headed upstate," Deadpool informed me as he broke about three different traffic laws. "It'll take us a few hours to get where he's keeping her. Good thing I found this great car to borrow."

I glanced at the steering column. Sure enough, it was busted. Well, I wasn't the one who stole the car.

"He's got Death?" I asked, humoring him as I scrambled to put my seatbelt on before we got into an accident, slightly irritated that I'd jumped into the car with him to save someone that was a figment of his imagination. Then again, it was a smart play on his part- I wouldn't have gone without hesitation if he wouldn't have acted like there was a life on the line. Now, I was debating hopping _out_ of the car. If we wanted Francis captured, then the Avengers would probably be way more successful than the ragtag team of me, Deadpool, and whoever Deadpool's friends were. But Deadpool was still right in that I couldn't expect the Avengers to fight my battles forever. This was personal, between Francis and Deadpool and I.

Deadpool shook his head, answering my question. "He's got Vanessa. After all the time I spent trying to find him… he texted me the damn address."

 **Holly… I can't contact them. They aren't answering- I can't get a message through without hacking the firewall. Friday said they went on an emergency mission, but she isn't in contact with Tony- they're meeting with the UN, including Pepper and Agent Hill. Both Friday and I are trying to hack into the meeting, but it's going to be tough- no outside server tech. Director Fury is supposed to be meeting you after school, if they aren't back in time. Should I contact him, or try to break through the firewall?**

"Here we freaking go again," I said out loud, stomach sick with fear. I slapped Deadpool's offered high five- he must have thought I was talking to him- as I whipped out my phone to text them all and to tell Nova to keep trying to hack through. I wasn't hopeful of getting a message to them any time soon- the UN server was probably tougher to hack then the Pentagon, and I had to rely on Nova to do it. As for contacting Fury… well, if I couldn't get ahold of the Avengers before we entered the fight or until it was time for dismissal at school, then I'd contact him. Well, I'd have Nova do it. And have it be one way communication. Damn it, there was no way that Fury was going to let me into any academy now. But there was no turning back.


	42. Finding Francis

We'd been driving close to two hours when Deadpool finally pulled off the highway. During the trip, I'd heard more swear words than my stepfather had ever used in such a short period of time. If Deadpool was an Avenger, he'd owe over $75 to the swear jar- I'd stopped counting fifteen minutes into the trip, so I wasn't sure of the actual number. "I'm going to go get some food for us. Can't get Francis if we've collapsed of starvation."

When we parked at Taco Bell, He reached over into the backseat, grabbed a beat up duffel bag and unzipped it. It was filled with guns, ammunition, and a pair of sweats. Facing away from me, he pulled them over his costume, and then took off his mask, his hood up. I couldn't see his face. "Listen, kid, I don't know how you escaped his workshop without looking like a motherfucking freak, but I didn't. Don't wet your pants."

Deadpool turned to me.

His entire face was scarred. Worse than mine. It was like he had blisters from chemical burns all over his face, scalp, and likely body that had exploded before scarring. He was bald; his expression was not intimidating, like his mask, but slightly sad. Yeah, he did look like a freak.

But to be honest? He was less scary now than his mask with the blank white eyes.

"What's your name?" I asked curiously. I felt like a fool for not wondering before now. He didn't come out of the womb with a red suit and the name Deadpool.

"Wade the Weirdo Wilson." He got out of the car.

As soon as he was out of sight, I asked, "Nova, any luck?"

"No," she said aloud, now that Deadpool had gone. "Meeting is still going on. Director Fury is almost at the school- should I tell him where you're at and what's going on?"

I cringed at her harsh tone. "Don't be mad. I don't have much of a choice."

"Of course you did. You could have not gone!"

"What would you have done?" I snapped back, leaning back on the car seat and crossing my arms.

Nova didn't say anything. "You're right. I wouldn't let whoever Francis has got be mutated either. And regardless, you're going to do it," she joked. "Only thing I can do is help you the best I can."

"I'm sorry for putting you in this position again and again," I blurted.

"It's what I was made for. So do you want me to inform Director Fury?"

I took my glasses off, rubbed my face, and put them back on before answering. "Yeah… don't tell him where I am. Or that I'm with Deadpool. Tell him that I located Francis, I have a suit, and I'm taking care of him."

"Why not the full story?"

I relaxed when I realized that it didn't sound like she was criticizing me. "Because Fury would probably stop me and send agents after Francis. I want this over. I want to be able to sleep at night again. The Avengers are the only other people I'd trust to get the job done."

"Um, another thing... Peter texted you. He heard about you arguing in History and then running out of the school. Apparently Midtown High administrators are sort of going crazy right now. He asked what was going on and if you were okay."

I reached for my bag to grab my phone so I could look at the text, but then shrugged. "Tell him I'm on a mission or something I guess."

Deadpool returned in a few minutes with a bag of Taco Bell. "Hope you like tacos," he said as he reached into the bag and handed me five soft tacos wrapped in paper.

"Sure," I told him. "How much do I owe you?"

"Just have your daddy pay me back after we find Francis," he told me.

I said nothing, the panic over when the hell the Avengers were going to be available coursing through me, and hastily unwrapped a taco.

 **Informed him. Director Fury isn't happy, Holly, Nova wrote. He said the UN meeting was too important to interrupt- that you're on your own until it's concluded. He isn't telling you to come back- I thought that was weird. He literally just said 'Tell her she's on her own until the Avengers are available".**

 **That's** ** _it? Anything else?_** I texted her, taken aback that he hadn't immediately demanded I turn around.

 **And that he's going to add the book 'How to Follow Orders and Not be a Little Shit' to your shelf. He demands you read it ASAP.**

I snorted, then nodded once; she'd feel the nod and know I got the message. What were the Avengers up to that was that important? Was it the backlash from the Ultron Offensive? But I'd fought in the battle- why wasn't I there? **When the Avengers are out of the meeting, tell them everything,** I added after a minute. **I'm going to have some explaining to do later.**

Deadpool began to put an alarming amount of hot sauce on his taco and took a bite. I started to follow his lead, besides the hot sauce, but as soon as I was about to eat, Deadpool screamed, "WAIT!"

He opened three packets of sauce and squirted them onto my taco. Now it was drenched in sauce, and I glared at him.

"Take a bite, midget. Food helps you grow," Deadpool lectured me, his mouth full.

I sighed but took a bite, knowing it would be disgusting. You just don't argue with a guy that has katanas.

"Zippy," I coughed out as my taste buds exploded. "I like it!"

And I did- after eating whatever food could find in Tempe, I loved the new flavors of food that the Avengers provided me with. But hot sauce- damn, this was familiar territory. It reminded me of the spicy food I ate in Tempe sometimes, when I'd do odd jobs for Hispanic neighbors- fixing broken microwaves, blown fuses, that sort of thing- and they'd feed me. It used to be about the only food I'd get. They kept me alive.

"I'm gonna need some more of those packets," I told him as I finished off my taco and unwrapped another one, a lump in my throat.

Wordlessly, he dumped out the Taco Bell bag. Roughly forty more packets fell out.

I grinned. Deadpool and I would get along just fine. I wondered if it was the sheer amount of spiciness that made my stomach hurt, or if it was the guilt of knowing how angry the Avengers would be when they found out what I was doing. But at least I'd tried to contact them.

I was shocked when my food was gone and I'd eaten all of the tacos. Deadpool threw the trash out the window, despite my protests, and he drove to his 'headquarters'.

Deadpool's genius place to go was a bar roughly a half hour away from the shipyard that Francis was holding Vanessa at. It was obvious that he was in a hurry- he basically dragged me from the car and to the door. But before we entered, he grabbed me by the elbow and leaned real close to my face. Weirdly, it wasn't as scary without the mask, which he hadn't put back on. "If you don't want to get killed, or worse, you stay by me. Seriously. Don't run your mouth."

I thought that was ironic, seeing it was coming from the Merc with a Mouth himself, but nodded.

Either way, he steered me through the bar full of leering, gigantic men and to the apartment upstairs. As we went, he gave me a brief introduction as I slumped and tried to make myself invisible to the creepy guys. "Welcome to Sister Margaret's. It's like a job fair for mercenaries. Think of us as really fucked up tooth fairies except we knock out the teeth and take the cash. You'd best hope we never see your name on a gold card."

I didn't say anything to his seemingly well-rehearsed speech. Maybe he was serious, maybe he wasn't, but who was I to judge?

Upstairs, there was a rumpled holey sleeping bag on the floor, with a stuffed _unicorn_ of all things on top of it. But besides that, there were just lots of guns and ammunition and some knives and swords lying around everywhere. Clearly Deadpool didn't follow any sort of gun safety procedures. Then again, if he got shot, he could just heal himself.

With a jolt, I realized that this was it, this was all he owned. He lived in a tiny room above his friends' bar. I wondered if he'd had a better life before Francis had messed up his face and genes.

"Ahem." I spun to face Deadpool. The wall next to the sleeping bag was filled with Deadpool's master plan, and my jaw dropped.

It was a gigantic hit list- a mess of yarn, photographs, and crudely drawn pictures. At the very top of the pyramid shaped collage… part of me wanted to yell out in fear. The other part of me wanted to laugh. For it was a picture of the man that featured third in my nightmares, behind my stepfather and the metal-armed man- Francis himself.

And Deadpool had drawn a crown on his head. He was the last picture- the rest were crossed off with red sharpie. Some of them, I couldn't see their face.

"So they're dead? Who are they?" I asked.

"Anyone that has anything to do with his little workshop. The last person is him. Everyone else is taken care of. A few goons were at that workshop you were in- that's what led me there. I got them, no worries. Only bastard that left that place alive was Francis," he growled in disgust.

The relief was staggering, and I was slightly ashamed that I was relieved people were dead. "Everyone?" I demanded. The metal armed man, the one who haunted my dreams, could never come back to haunt me in real life?

"Yep," he said proudly, his lips popping on the last sound. "Listen, I'm going to leave for a half hour- there's some business I need to take care of. Make yourself comfortable, do some hacking, catch some Z's, whatever- don't wait up for me. And definitely don't go down stairs, you are way too young to underage drink."

He left, and I frowned at the hit list. The metal arm man was dead, he couldn't hurt me again. He'd hurt me badly. Why did I feel guilty that I was glad about that?

* * *

Tony had no patience for the incompetence of the United Nations.

He and the Avengers had been so rudely summoned at the last minute to a mandatory meeting. Fury was still 'officially' dead, so Coulson was acting as the Director of SHIELD, while Fury was waiting in Stark Tower for Holly to be done with school, just in case it ran long. It was pretty obvious that Fury resented being on babysitting duty, but there was no one else that Tony trusted besides Maria Hill, and she was unavailable.

Besides, no one, including Fury, wanted Holly kidnapped again.

As disgruntled as Tony was, he had to hand it to Coulson- originally the meeting was supposed to be in Vienna, during Holly's hearing yesterday, but Coulson had finagled it so that it was in New York today, and while Holly was at school. The meeting was legally top secret; anyone under sixteen was considered a security risk, which was the main reason why Tony was glad it was happening while Holly was occupied; he didn't want her to think he wasn't telling her things by choice.

Today's meeting agenda: repercussions of Sokovia. Tony had already dished out millions for relief to the citizens. But the problem wasn't the finances; the problem was the public opinion on superheroes. The problem was that when the Avengers moved into the spotlight, they gave the public someone to lay the blame on.

No consensus had been reached by the time the meeting was over. A lot of shouting, a lot of being kicked under the table by Pepper and Steve, and a whole lot of nothing. Tony couldn't fathom how _stupid_ the UN was. There was more out there than just Earth- Sparky was living proof of that- and the United Nations seemed content to ignore that, to let the military deal with it, to let the bad guys come to Earth and deal with it then. They'd scoffed his speech discussing space travel, they'd shot down his suggestions of educating the world about the Chitauri and different realms. Coulson's voice of reason- or rather, the stern talk beforehand that warned him that they could make things difficult for Holly in the future if he was too obnoxious - was the only thing that kept him from walking out.

So with another wasted day, the meeting concluded, and Tony loosened his tie and faced his team.

"What's the purpose of this?" he asked, frustrated, as they were handed back their weapons and electronics. Of course, Tony had hid a suit, rigged to be undetected by a search or metal detector, in his briefcase. But still, not having access to any tech for the last eight hours had been murder.

"Power trip," Bruce said tonelessly. "They want us to know that they're the man."

"I don't understand why they can't realize we're fighting for the same things that they are," Steve grumbled. "A safer world."

Tony scoffed. "Because they're_"

"Mr. Stark, I've been trying to get into contact with you all day." Tony's heart fell as Nova, his daughter's AI, came through his phone. The other Avengers recognized it as well, and immediately were on alert.

"Is Holly alright?" Tony demanded.

"You all need to get on a QuinJet. I'll fill you in on the way."

* * *

Deadpool had ditched the stolen Ford Focus, and now I was squeezed in the backseat of a taxi between a man completely made of metal, who politely told me his name was Collosus, and my English partner, Ellie. Who apparently went by Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and did _not_ appreciate me calling her Ellie in front of Deadpool, who was currently mocking her from the front seat of the taxi.

"I was sent to Midtown High by the Professor," Negasonic explained, rubbing a hand over her short hair, an irritated expression on her face. "He can sense mutant powers, and I needed some undercover field practice anyway… then you walked into English class. I knew who you were right away. No one else would have mutant powers. But the Professor made me wait a month to make sure."

Fear trickled through my veins. "What gave it away?" I demanded, wondering if I'd slipped up.

"Anyone with a brain could see that you're Holly Stark. So, just me." she smirked, and I wanted to ask her if she knew that Peter was a mutant, too, but held my tongue. If she hadn't, I wasn't about to inform her. On the other hand, potentially the one he'd sensed _was_ Peter- did my mutation blocking cuffs stop 'the Professor' from seeing me? If it was only one mutant, and only a rough area- maybe I'd saved Peter from discovery.

"So there's more mutants out there than just me and Deadpool," I said slowly. "Colossus is obviously one, and this professor guy_"

Negasonic rolled her eyes and interrupted me. "I thought you were a genius? _The_ Professor is one, yes. Because the location was a high school, it could be an adult or a kid. If it was an adult, I was supposed to report back and figure out if he had malicious intentions. If it was a kid, I was supposed to offer them a position at Professor X's school, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters." I couldn't believe how bored she sounded when she was describing something so _cool._

"I've never heard of that," I told her, despite the fact that she appeared to be done with the conversation as she chomped on gum and picked at her cuticles. The SHIELD Academies, this school- how come no one had ever told me of options?

"Well, you wouldn't find an ad in the newspaper for a mutant school, Stark. " She glared at me, like it was my fault that I was the mutant she'd found. "Doesn't matter, anyway." She crossed her arms and began to surf Twitter on her phone.

"Why?" I couldn't help asking, despite her obvious annoyance.

"Because you're SHIELD's problem, Stark," Deadpool said jauntily. "Licensing rights or something. They won't take you to their X mansion that explodes every few months and make you join their boy band. Not that you'd want to, with that gold Avengers' membership card in your pocket."

The conversation was abruptly cut off by a muffled groan coming from the trunk as the taxi driver hit a pothole and I felt my eyes pop out of my head. I hugged my backpack- and by association, my suit- closer to my chest.

"Dopinder," Deadpool slowly addressed the taxi driver, "What was that?"

The taxi driver smiled nervously. "My romantic rival, Bantu. He's tied up in the trunk. I'm doing like you said, DP. I'm going to gut him like a Tandoori fish, then put his carcass on Gita's doorstep."

I glanced at Deadpool in alarm. He had spun around to face Colossus. "I did not tell him to do that!" he exclaimed. "Absolutely not! It got lost in translation!" He whipped back to the front seat. "Dopinder, this is no way to win Gita's heart back!"

Dopinder looked at him, confused, and Deadpool glanced quickly at Colossus before dropping his voice to a whisper, and adding, "I'm so proud of you." Speaking in a regular voice, he told Dopinder, "Drop Bandu off safe and gentle-like. _Kill him._ And then, win Gita back the old-fashioned way, with your boyish charm! _Kidnap her_."

Obviously, he was telling Colossus one thing and Dopinder another.

"He's super dead," Negasonic said flatly before blowing a bubble and popping it.

"Yep," I agreed, still perplexed that my English partner was a mutant.

Holly! I got ahold of the Avengers. They're on their way!

I breathed a sigh of relief. The stress of heading into battle was practically worse than actually _being_ in the battle.

The car screeched to a halt and I flew forward, having not put my seatbelt on. As I picked myself up, I heard Dopinder ask, "I presume a crisp high-five?"

Deadpool jauntily told him, "For you? Ten!" He slapped Dopinder's hands. Realizing he wasn't going to pay this man, one who'd probably be an accessory to murder if we got caught, I whipped out my wallet and gave him all of my poker winnings- now only about $23. It probably wasn't enough- I'd been swearing way too much during training lately, and they were holding fast to their swear jar.

"Okay, guys, let's get out there and make a difference!" To Dopinder, he hitched his thumb toward the trunk and whispered, "You know what to do." We all scrambled out of the taxi.

After jumping out of a helicarrier into my last battle, I felt pretty foolish getting out of a taxi. But after tonight, I'd never have to worry about Francis again. The Red Room wouldn't haunt me anymore. Maybe I could finally sleep and I wouldn't worry Tony and Pepper anymore.

"Knock 'em dead, pool boy!" Dopinder called as he sped off.

However, I hardly heard his farewell as I stared out at the shipyard in disbelief. Behind piles of junk taller than Colossus and a legion of armed men in uniforms there was Francis. But Francis was meters up in the air, standing on the edge of a grounded- and obviously very out of date- _helicarrier._

My surprise at seeing the trashed helicarrier drowned out my fear. The Avengers would _have_ to have known about this place already. Or at least, SHIELD would.

Deadpool rubbed his hands together and said gleefully, "Time to make the chimi-fucking-changas."

I took that as my cue. "Go Nova!" As my suit encased me, I felt confident for the first time. But then I realized- I hadn't fought in the suit since Sokovia. Not even practiced. That was a bad move on my part- on all of our parts. It didn't matter if the suit would enhance my speed and strength if I didn't know how to use it well. They'd been so worried about me learning basic defense and attacks, that I wasn't practiced in the suit I carried around in my backpack.

Deadpool jumped. "What the shit, Stark! You brought a suit? That is so cool!"

"You're gonna get killed," Nova told me, making it so only I could hear her inside my helmet.

"Thanks, Nova. You see what I'm seeing?"

"That helicarrier? Yeah. SHIELD probably knows about this place. Want me to tell Fury the whole story? Including that there's a helicarrier here? He's waiting to yell at you when you get back to Stark Tower anyway."

"Do it, but don't let any messages in, from anyone- I don't want to get distracted," I ordered. "And keep my bangles on- I don't want my mutation to react badly with the arc reactor. No idea how handled it during Sokovia, but I'm not taking any risks unless I have to."

"Smartest thing you've said all day."

"Cue the music," Deadpool said, pressing a button on an iPod touch before tucking it into his utility belt.

My nerves were on fire. How could he be so _not_ serious about this? We starting walking forward as the music played, me on Deadpool's right, Negasonic on his left, and Colossus behind us.

 _X gonna give it to ya…_

I tried to tune out the song as I focused on what I had to do, what Natasha had told me and what I'd learned from Deadpool. I was sure with the suit I might be able to lift some of the pieces of junk, use them as arsenal. Strategically, we'd have to get up to the top deck of the helicarrier- sneakiest way would be to jump inside it and navigate to the top, but from experience I knew those things were huge, and that a busted one was probably highly unstable. It'd be easy for me to fly up there, but the other three didn't have flight capability (at least I didn't think Negasonic did). Deadpool'd kill me if I beat up Francis before he got a chance.

"Wade Wilson!" Francis called out as soon as we were inside the fence. He hadn't said my name, but I shuddered all the same at his voice. "What's my name?"

His goons all rushed up as he finished speaking and pointed their automatics at us. Nova immediately tagged them all. They weren't in any formation that I'd read about in Fury's books; they likely weren't usually working together in a team, then, either.

Good.

Deadpool's mask-eyes narrowed. "Ooh, I'mma fucking spell it out for ya," he growled under his breath.

A woman stepped up behind Francis, buff but lean, - Deadpool's girlfriend?

But I couldn't ask- the Merc was doing what he did best, tapping my and Negasonic's arms, being annoying. "Superhero landing. She's gonna do a superhero landing, wait for it! Superhero landing!" He started to clap. "You know, that's really hard on your knees. Totally impractical, they all do it," he informed us.

* * *

"We kind of do," Clint called from his pilot seat on the Quinjet. They were suited up and ready to go, together, for the first time since Sokovia. Tony was trying to hack into Holly's suit, to get a message from her that they were coming, to get out of there, to let them handle it- but unfortunately, Tony and Holly putting their heads together had created the best firewall around. He could do it- but it'd take him longer than the twenty minutes to get to the shipyard.

He'd only been able to get access to Holly's HUD cam and microphone. So they could hear and see what she did. She was so grounded, it wasn't even funny. He couldn't believe that she'd gone rogue like this. Even if she couldn't get ahold of them, why didn't she wait?

Unfortunately, watching the battle only added to his nerves as it displayed on a screen. All of them huddled around it- Natasha, Vision, Thor, Steve, Wanda, and Bruce. But Tony barely noticed them, barely noticed anything but the code he was trying to hack and the seemingly constant cursing of the Merc. If Deadpool swore one more time in front of his daughter, Tony vowed he'd find a way to keep that Merc's mouth shut.

"That's Angel Dust, a minion of Francis's. To our knowledge, she wasn't in the Red Room, but normally is in the workshops with the adults. I guess they don't need a super-strength mutant to handle kids," Natasha spat, her arms folded across her chest and jaw tensed. Her fingers twitched every once in awhile, like she was itching to place them around Francis's neck.

"How strong is she?" Steve asked as Deadpool told Angel, "You're a lovely lady but I'm saving myself for Francis."

Angel was walking toward them, and Tony wished that he wasn't seeing it from his daughter's point of view, that he could see Holly, but at least he knew she was still alive. "That's why I brought him."

A split second later, the screen showed a huge man that appeared to be made of a silver metal walking past Holly. Tony didn't have to hear Bruce's inquiry to know that none of the Avengers had ever seen or heard of this man before.

"I'd prefer not to hit a woman, so please_"

Next they heard a metal _clang_ followed by a thud and had a view of the concrete. Tony shouted once, the Avengers tensed, he relaxed as he heard Nova's voice. "You okay?"

"Yep!" Holly said as she bounded back to her feet. Tony understood- the super-strength mutant had decked the metal-mutant, and he'd gone flying. Holly had flipped herself out of the way.

"I'd say pretty strong, Cap," Tony heard himself say, even as his eyes were glued to the screen.

"Why the heck did Francis name himself Ajax?" Holly asked Nova. "That chick, her name should have been Ajax!"

"He was a soldier in Ancient Greece, renowned for his strength," Bruce explained immediately. "I believe that Francis's mutation is feeling no pain, not super strength."

Holly was standing by Deadpool's side again.

"I mean, that's why I brought her?" Deadpool asked.

"Oh no you didn't," Tony growled.

But then the camera showed another person, who looked about Wanda's age, holding up one finger and typing on her phone.

"Never seen her before either," Natasha informed everyone. "This… this isn't a known mutant or inhuman. What…?"

"Oh no. Finish your tweet. Just give us a second. Here you go. Hash tag it. Go get her, tiger," Deadpool ordered. The camera wavered- Holly had shook her head back and forth.

But then the girl seemingly caught fire and rushed Angel. There was a small explosion and while the girl was still standing- goth clothes burned away, a fireproof yellow leotard in its place- Angel had been blasted against an old construction trailer.

"I so pity the dude who pressures her into prom sex."

"Remind me to kill Deadpool after we get Holly out of there," he mumbled to no one in particular, not expecting an answer.

But Steve snorted. "I'll help."

Angel got up and started to swagger back toward them. "Alright then. Fire!" She shouted.

Holly bolted behind a pile of junk as gunshots from what sounded like automatics fired.

"Nova, options!" Holly's voice ripped through octaves as she unnecessarily shouted.

Though Holly wasn't focused on it, Tony could hear Deadpool's voice faintly yelling, "Cease fire! Cease fire! Fellas, hey, you only work for that shit-spackled Muppet fart. So, I'mma give you a chance for y'all to lay down your firearms in exchange for preferential, bordering on gentle, possibly even lover-like treatment."

"That's disgusting," Wanda blurted.

But everyone else was focused on Holly. "Your father designed this suit to be bulletproof," Nova's voice sounded as Holly tried to peek out at the attackers.

"No! Do not tell her that!" Tony yelled pointlessly at the AI.

"Not taking any stupid risks today until I have to. Do you think my mutation would slow the bullets down enough to dodge them?"

"That counts as a stupid risk. And_ Holly!"

A flash of a fist, a metal clang, and Holly went flying, the camera spiralling sickeningly.

The Avengers all shouted in alarm. The camera stabilized, the view one of the pavement, as Holly crashed and rolled to a stop. She let out a low groan.

Everyone was silent; the only sound was the faint pop of gunfire. Tony, eyes bulging and mouth in a grimace of horror, couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Had he malfunctioned with the suit? Did it not protect her from Angel's punch? Did she hit her head again?

Had he failed?

But then…

"Get up, Stark," Holly muttered to herself, sounding winded. Tony let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The camera went from looking at the pavement to facing Angel. "At least she hit my chest, not my head. Nova… what do you_"

"She's bigger than you. Stronger. Even with your suit enhancing your own strength, you're a little out of your league. If your suit hadn't been on, that hit would have killed you. Even so, I wouldn't suggest getting hit again."

"Don't plan on it. Oh, shit!" Holly yelled Angel rushed her. At the last second, she launched herself out of the way. It was a good tactic- like a bull, once Angel got the momentum, she couldn't change directions.

And whether by Holly's planning or by accident, Angel had run straight back to the metal man.

Tony almost smiled in relief- someone that was more Angel's level was taking her on. But unfortunately, his _supposedly_ genius daughter was rushing straight into the heart of the action.

Each bullet that zinged off Holly's suit felt like a shot to Tony's heart. The camera view was now nauseating- Holly was diving and jumping and flipping through the air, knocking out and disarming the attackers with her feet, fists, and rubble around her. Tony had to admit- although they saw it from Holly's point of view, her fighting skills were impressive for the amount of training she'd actually had, although Tony knew most of it was because the suit enhanced her strength so she could jump higher, hit harder. They caught flashes of Deadpool every once in awhile as the two ripped through the legion of thirty men, and flashes of the combustible girl and metal man taking on Angel.

"Look," Bruce mentioned. He and Natasha were the only two still intently looking at the dizzying camera angle. "Her fighting style and Deadpool's- it's similar. Almost identical with the unpredictable moving patterns, except he's using katanas as his weapon and Holly's using her feet and fists. They were injected with the same mutating agent. I wonder if it gave them some sort of natural fighting ability?"

"Well, I didn't teach her that style," Natasha added. "It's careless, it leaves too many openings. An experienced fighter would be able to take her down easily."

"You didn't?" Wanda asked, shocked, grabbing Natasha's bicep. "She's been doing that with me- I asked her where she'd learned it, she said you were teaching her!"

"Wait, what?" Steve asked in alarm.

"Yes!" Tony hissed, barely paying attention to the conversation around him. After the view got too sickening for him to focus on, he'd gone back to hacking, and he'd finally made a small breakthrough.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark, Avengers," came Nova's voice. You could tell that the AI was nervous. "Unfortunately, Holly has overridden my protocols- I can't give you a direct line to her."

Tony groaned. "Seriously? _Seriously_? I built you!"

"I can give you a read of her vitals, if you want," Nova said cooly.

"Yes, do that," Tony snapped at her, and immediately Holly's heart and respiration rates displayed on the corners of the screen. Her heart rate was a steady 177 beats per minute and respiration was an even 26 breaths per minute; Holly was obviously freaking out.

"It'd be a bad idea to distract her, anyway," Natasha noted, staring at the screen. "She needs to stay focused, she's anticipating where they'll go and then reacting and adjusting accordingly. Again, sloppy style. But she's doing well- I'm surprised that she has so much control over herself mentally and isn't panicking. Hold on- what's Deadpool_?"

Natasha broke off as everyone looked back at the screen, which had stabilized.

Holly and Deadpool had finished fighting the squadron, and the Merc was dragging the bodies.

"Nova, this is sick," Holly whispered. Deadpool had sliced and diced with his katanas, which didn't leave a pretty mark. And apparently, this was the first time Holly had noticed he was killing people.

"Deadpool! You- they- you _killed_ them!" Holly shouted.

"They were shooting at us!" He yelled back without pausing in his actions.

"So! The ones I took care of, I just knocked them out!"

"We're not playing games here, Princess!" Deadpool shouted as he picked up a decapitated head. "We're here so we can finally kill the bastard! Go up there and kick his ass!"

Holly didn't move. "I…."

"Oh, sorry princess, that too harsh for you? We're going to un-alive him, then. Whatever."

Holly's heart rate spiked to 190.

"She's going to lose it," muttered Steve.

"What's our ETA?!" Tony screamed at Clint.

"Seven minutes!"

The seconds ticked by as Holly didn't move, watching Deadpool move the bodies. When he'd dragged the last one over, she suddenly reached down, picked up a gun with one hand, and fired her repulsors.

"There ya go!" Deadpool cheered. "Motherfucker shoulda worn his brown pants."

Holly was level with the deck of the junked helicarrier when Deadpool whistled and she looked down.

He'd spelled out FRANCIS with the bodies.

"This man is… he's…" Steve struggled for words.

"You can't do anything now except focus on Francis," Nova told her. "Save the woman!" Holly landed on the deck, landed badly, and stumbled forward, a mere twenty meters from Francis and a woman whose hands were bound with a zip tie.

"That's why she didn't wait for us," Natasha murmured. "He has a hostage."

"She's going to do it," Tony breathed as Holly leveled the gun at him. "She know how to work that?" he asked no one in particular. Despite Holly wearing the green and blue suit, the gun just seemed out of place in his daughter's hand. Holly just wasn't a violent person.

"I've trained her on that style," Natasha replied. "But she always says the same thing- it feels wrong. At first I thought it was a balance thing, but she even says that for the ones for people with smaller hands. Psychological thing. Guns scare her."

Francis smirked and pushed the woman to the side. She fell hard, but now Holly had an open shot. Why wouldn't Francis use her as a shield? "You know, children shouldn't play with guns," he said, stalking towards her. "Hasn't your so-called family taught you anything?"

She kept her grip firm, kept the gun steady, just like Natasha had taught her. "Who said I was playing, _Francis_ ," she snapped.

"She won't do it," Natasha sighed.

"Holly! Shoot him! He's more than close enough!" exclaimed Nova.

Nova's targeting system had her going straight through his forehead. "What if I aimed lower, paralyzed him from the neck down instead? He would still have a life. He'd have a future. Just not one that involved mutating people and turning them into mindless slaves," Holly asked Nova shakily.

Her hesitation had goaded Francis.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," Francis sneered. "You're weak. You're a coward. When are you going to learn? The power to cause pain, to kill, is the only power that matters, because if you can't kill then you are always controlled by those who can. I gave you power. What good is having that power if you won't kill with it?"

Holly looked at the gun, threw it off the top deck. "I don't need a gun. I'll kick your ass with my bare hands."

"Then step out of that suit."

"DON'T!" Tony roared.

"Oof!" Deadpool had- _somehow_ \- launched himself to the top deck of the helicarrier. With Holly unarmed, Francis picked up the woman and shoved her into a hyperbaric chamber, bounding the woman into the device.

Deadpool let out a guttural scream, staggering forward next to Holly. "You were right, beautiful. Red really is my color," he choked out, addressing the woman in the chamber.

"Wade?" The woman asked.

"Don't worry, baby. I'mma get you outta that shitbox," Deadpool called.

"What better way to crawl back inside that head of yours?" Francis smirked. He stared at Holly. "Both of yours, although I don't think my friend ever introduced you to this particular type of treatment, did he? No- he did much worse. Had to, to get you to mutate. Weren't so brave then, were you?"

Tony's fingernails were biting into his palm. The Avengers all looked how he felt; helpless. Watching this battle, not being in between his daughter and this maniac was the worst. What he'd give to have a go at this guy...

"Oh, you never left," Deadpool retorted, his voice cracking.

"No, he didn't," whispered Holly.

Tony bowed his head, shook it back and forth. He had to keep it together- they were almost there... "Nova..." he whispered. "You can't give her a direct message... but take care of her for me. Please."

Nova jumped in, and they heard her words as clearly as Holly would hear them herself. "Holly, get it together! He can't hurt you- you've got the suit, and I've got your back."

"Three minutes!" called Clint.

"But you did, asshole!" screamed Deadpool's girlfriend.

Francis sneered at her. "Deep breath, darling. No wait... Wrong choice of words." He flipped the switch, broke the lever to open the chamber, and the woman almost immediately went into serious oxygen deprivation.

"I hope they've blocked pain to your every last nerve. 'Cause I'mma go looking!" Deadpool roared, pointing a gloved hand at Francis. He turned to Holly. "You ready, Stark ?"

The camera bobbed as Holly nodded.

"Get my girl!"

Francis smiled. "I hear you grow back body parts now, Wade. When I'm finished, what's left to grow back you?"

Deadpool gave a fake laugh. "Good one... Yup. That was a good one. Let's dance. And by "dance", I mean let's try to kill each other!"

* * *

As Deadpool and Francis fought, I worked to break open the oxygen deprivation tank. It was difficult; my armored hands were clumsy, I was trembling, and I didn't want to just break the tank, I wanted to slide it open. It wasn't a question of whether or not I could break it- with the suit, I knew I could- what if the shattered glass hurt Vanessa?

She wasn't doing good. Any idiot could see that. Her eyeballs were popping out, her veins were prominent, I couldn't help her, couldn't undo the tank fast enough_

"Stark! I need you down here!" Negasonic screamed it loud enough for me to hear on the helicarrier, and I knew I had no choice. Punching low, I smashed the glass on cover of the oxygen chamber. The pressure monitor showed the increase of oxygen, but I couldn't stick around to make sure Vanessa was okay; I turned to the edge and jumped off.

Surveying the scene from above, I couldn't help but feel frustrated that 'Angel' (as Francis had called her) was better than we apparently were. Colossus was facedown after apparently being hit by Angel again, and he was either unwilling or unable to move. Negasonic was crouched behind a pile of scrap metal, seemingly unhurt, but not doing anything. Did she need time to recharge?

Angel knew where she was; she was stalking toward the pile.

"Holly, you can't! You get hit, your armor might break_"

"Look's like I've got no choice," I said grimly as I hit the ground in a 'superhero landing' in between the pile of junk Negasonic was hiding behind and Angel. "Nova, best bet?"

"Use your repulsors!"

I shook my head, even as I raised my glowing hand to Angel as a warning. "I can't kill her! What if she's under the mind control thing Francis wanted to do to me?"

"Irrelevant, she's about to kill you!" Nova screamed back. Angel was walking slower, but still moving toward me.

"What about an explosion?" I suggested as Angel smirked. She'd called my bluff.

"Whatever you do, do it quickly!" Nova shouted as Angel lunged.

I ducked as she swung, retaliated with a futile kick. Even with my suit, I couldn't do much damage- part of her mutation HAD to be stronger skeletal and muscular systems as well.

"If you're not gonna use your repulsors, then can I at least take over some control to enhance your reflexes?" Nova yelped as I ducked and rolled to again avoid Angel.

"Yup!"

Nova taking control of my suit was shaky, at first. She didn't control my suit- I called the shots- but she made the minuscule adjustments to keep me from dropping my guard and if I started moving to dodge, she sped up the process.

Unfortunately, after I'd stopped being on the defense and switched to offense, I quickly realized that while Deadpool's style was great for fighting multiple enemies that weren't used to working together, it wasn't good for one-on-one combat. Utilizing Natasha's training and Nova's help analyzing Nova's fighting pattern and weak spots, the two of us turned into a decently efficient team.

We weren't getting hit, at least. And it seemed like Angel was slowing down. She couldn't keep this up forever, super-strength or not.

Unfortunately, neither could we.

As Nova helped me dodge before I headbutted Angel's jaw, causing her head to snap back, I couldn't help but smile slightly behind the mask. Nova and I fighting together felt right, felt natural. I innovated; Nova kept me from making stupid mistakes. It worked.

But then Colossus got involved, and I learned another important lesson in hand-to-hand combat; sometimes, double teaming is worse than fighting solo when you're evenly matched. Colossus got in the way, and Angel hit me directly in the chest again.

I went flying; Nova, partially controlling my suit, was able to fire the repulsors so I didn't hit the ground as hard. But the damage was done; my chest plate was cracked.

"Holly, you have to move!" Nova was shouting at me.

But I couldn't- even though I hadn't landed hard, the hit itself had knocked the wind out of me. My lungs wouldn't fill…

Colossus grabbed my leg and tossed me out of the way. Nova fired the repulsors, and I landed on my feet, but fell to my hands and knees. I finally gulped air.

"Holly!" Nova screamed.

I looked up.

The scene looked almost hazy- Deadpool and Francis fighting on top of the old helicarrier, Negasonic recharging, the bodies spelling out FRANCIS…

And Angel choking Colossus with a steel cable.

I tried to force myself up. My suit wasn't moving well, or maybe that was me. I had to help him!

But Negasonic got there first. The world exploded.

Nova saved my life. I don't know how she piloted us through the falling debris like she did when the junkyard completely imploded, but she did. I was on my feet, watching Negasonic and Colossus help Vanessa out of the rubble, when I saw the madmen pop out.

"Oh, my God! That was so awe_"

Deadpool's exclamation was cut off by Francis tackling him.

I was moving before I consciously registered making a decision. It was time to end this battle.

Deadpool and Francis rolled, thankfully toward me. Francis nailed the Merc in the abdomen, who bent double in pain, and then turned to face me, standing up slowly. He looked bored, even as blood dripped into his eyes.

My repulsor glowed white.

"Do it," he taunted me.

I blasted him with my repulsor- the lowest setting possible, enough to burn, but not kill- and he was thrown back to Deadpool's feet.

Deadpool grabbed Francis by his now-charred shirt and punched him in the face twice, hard. Francis spit out a tooth.

"Me and you, are headed to fix this butter face!" Deadpool growled, straddling Francis, pointing a finger toward his own face.

My stomach dropped as Francis laughed. That couldn't be one of the reasons why Deadpool wanted to find Francis so much. Even he had to know that nothing but hiding it under a mask could fix scars that bad.

Francis finally stopped laughing. "What? You sure are a fucking idiot. Did you really think there was a cure, for that?"

Clearly Deadpool did. "What?"

"You heard me," Francis smiled maliciously.

"No, no!" He cried, punching Francis in the face one more time. "So, you mean to say… After all this, you can't fix me?"

Francis smiled a mouth full of blood. "It sounds even stupider when you say it."

Deadpool changed positions so he was kneeling next to Francis. He pulled a revolver out of his waist band, and I jumped back, heart hammering. "Like the kind of stupid who admits he can't do the one thing I'm keeping him alive for? Any last words?"

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. This turned into something righteous to something vain in seconds. It wasn't keeping this maniac from hurting more people - it was fixing Deadpool's face, something a nanomask could do!

Francis put his forehead to the barrel as my mouth fell open in a silent scream. "What's my name?"

"Who fucking cares!" Deadpool roared.

"Wade!" I jumped a mile. Colossus and Negasonic had finally reached us. Maybe they could talk sense into Deadpool- Francis could go to prison- maybe they could get information from him-

Colossus snapped me back to the present. "Four or five moments_"

"I'm sorry?" Deadpool interrupted sarcastically, still pointing the gun at Francis.

" Four or five moments, that's all it takes."

" To...?" Deadpool gestured with his free hand. I wish he'd lower the gun.

"Be a hero," Colossus explained, striding next to me. "Everyone thinks it's a full-time job. Wake up a hero. Brush your teeth a hero. Go to work a hero. Not true. Over a lifetime, there are only four or five moments that really matter. Moments when you're offered a choice."

"Ugh," Francis muttered in disgust. He was sitting up now, looking bored. I moved behind him, wondering if he'd try to run. But I was more focused on Colossus' speech than I was on him at the moment. This… this made sense.

"To make a sacrifice, conquer a flaw, save a friend... spare an enemy. In these moments, everything else falls away. The way the world sees us. The way we_"

Deadpool fired. Later, when I forced myself to remember, I realized that I couldn't recall hearing the killing shot.

Skull and bits of brain matter exploded, splattering all over me, Colossus, and the ground. Francis jerked backwards, then slumped to the pavement. Deadpool shot him twice more, then threw the gun down

triumphantly.

I couldn't see well out of my helmet, thanks to the gore. Nova opened the attachments that kept it connected, and I yanked it off, shook my head to clear my vision.

Francis's eyes were open, staring at me.


	43. Back to Work

Tony landed gently, not wanting to upset the pile of junk they were all balanced on, and scrambled toward his daughter. It looked like the big metal guy was talking, and Deadpool had Francis at gunpoint. They didn't need his help- but Tony wasn't planning on helping, he just wanted Holly out of there, preferably before Deadpool shot someone in front of her and gave her another nightmare to dwell on.

No luck. Three gunshots later, and he was still forty meters away.

As he ran over, not wanting to risk using his repulsors and upsetting the junk pile, he noted that despite the rest of the group talking, Holly was standing off to the side. She had taken off her helmet and was staring at the corpse of Francis, horror written on every feature. He reached her just as the woman- Deadpool's girlfriend- was saying to Deadpool, "Hey... After a brief adjustment period, and a bunch of drinks... it's a face I'd be happy to_"

Tony reached Holly and clasped his hands over her ears before she could hear the rest of the inappropriate statement from Deadpool's girlfriend. Thank God Friday had retracted the hand pieces before he'd done it- he wasn't thinking, he'd just done it out of instinct. Luckily, she hadn't attacked him in response to being surprised- she didn't flinch, didn't move her eyes off of the dead body. But before Tony addressed that, he snapped at Deadpool, "If you're going to kidnap my twelve-year-old, could you at least watch your language and what you're saying around her!"

Man, Tony couldn't believe the day had come when he'd use Cap's line.

Deadpool ignored him and started making out with the woman. Tony shook his head in disgust, then took his hands off of Holly's ears as he moved in front of Francis's body, trying to block as much of it from view as he could. He crouched down to her eye level as Friday retracted his helmet. Holly finally tore her eyes away from Francis, and Tony wasn't surprised that her expression was still horrified when she locked eyes with him.

"Holly, are you okay? Kid, talk to me. Holly? Holly!" He shook her a little.

"Just get her out of there!" Natasha snapped to him through his comm link. He half wished that they had come with him, but it was pointless- the soldiers Holly had tried to spare were undoubtedly crushed by the collapsed helicarrier, and although they'd have liked to capture the three mutants, their first concern was Holly.

Tony nodded, knowing the rest of the team had eyes on them, and swallowed."It's over, Holly. We're here. It's okay. Let's head back to the QuinJet- it's hovering about a quarter kilometer from here. Can you fly?"

Holly didn't answer again, didn't give any indication that she'd heard him, just kept looking at him with that expression. "Nova? Override. Autopilot back to the Quinjet," Tony ordered. Holly's suit stiffened as the AI took over, and the helmet of the Iron Shorty suit fell to the ground. Tony didn't bother to pick it up.

Nova flew the suit slowly, and Tony stayed by them, worried that the suit or arc reactor would malfunction due to the cracked chest plate. But it held, and they landed safely in the back of the QuinJet. Immediately, Clint closed it and they were off. Back toward home.

"Are you hurt?" Bruce asked Holly, striding over with a medkit. Thor was in the co pilot seat and Wanda and Natasha were staying back, out of the way.

Again, she didn't answer, just looked around at them all with that haunted expression.

"Is she hurt?" Bruce asked, now addressing Tony, looking alarmed.

Tony shrugged. The fear was quickly being replaced with anger. What had Holly been thinking?

"Injuries I'm detecting is a break in the fifth digit of the foot and multiple contusions," came Nova's helpful diagnosis.

"She broke her pinky toe and is going to have some bruises," Bruce called to Wanda and Steve, who looked confused. "She'll be fine. Physically." Bruce steered her over to a seat, made her sit down and drink water. She still hadn't spoken, but her hands were shaking.

Tony helped Holly off of the Quinjet, with the rest of the Avengers behind them. Her face didn't look as bad at it did when she was looking at the corpse, but now her face just looked empty, her eyes dead.

And of course the pirate was waiting for them on the roof of Stark Tower.

"Out of all the stupid, childish things you've done, Stark, this really takes the goddamn cake," Fury yelled as soon as she had both feet on the roof of Stark Tower. Momentarily, Tony wasn't sure which Stark he was yelling at.

"On what planet is it a good idea to go _after_ the maniac that tried to turn you into a mutant slave?" Fury continued, rounding on the kid. Holly still hadn't said anything, and Tony had stopped asking her questions with Bruce's insistence that she'd talk when she was ready.

Once again, Holly didn't answer, and Tony was ready to defend her, but he wanted to see if she would answer Fury first. She stopped walking and looked down, still in her suit, with blood and brain matter splattered on her. Tony- and the others, based on their expressions- were appalled at Fury's reaction. Regardless on what she'd done, at least let her have a shower first.

"You are going to answer me. Do you ever use your head? I thought you were intelligent!" He was less than a foot from Holly now. The Avengers were behind her; Pepper and Jane waited by the elevator, looking nervous.

Holly didn't answer for a long moment. When she finally looked up, no one expected the white-hot anger in her voice, especially as her expression was still dead. "On what planet is it a good idea to let a mutant slave making psychopath go loose?" She didn't wait for an answer before spitting out, "I've been sneaking around Hell's Kitchen after school to train with Deadpool after he told me Francis had escaped the Red Room. For weeks. Because I didn't want Francis to be able to hurt anyone else. Why haven't _you_ tried to get him?"

Tony swore that Fury actually visibly swelled. "We_"

Holly folded her arms and didn't let him continue. "I've been busting my ass to become better at fighting so I could stop the murdering nut job. Then to prove myself, the other night Deadpool told me about a child trafficking ring in Hell's kitchen, and I snuck out at night and busted it. I did real well." Her voice broke. "Except a kid got _killed,_ and it was my fault. Because I wasn't good enough, because I was trying to get better so I could get Francis. I wasn't ready yet, but then Deadpool called me, and told me he had his girl, and he needed me, or Francis was going to kill or mutate her... but now Francis is dead, and I'm still a mutant, and Deadpool's face is still fucked up, and there's no point in any of it at all."

Tony's forced his jaw shut. "You've been doing _what?"_

"I've been training with Deadpool after school on the days I wasn't working on my science project. He taught me a new style of fighting. I lied. I'm sorry," she repeated. Holly took a deep breath after her confession, looked around at all of them. The anger was gone, and instead she looked lost. "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to be responsible for anyone else dying. My mom, my step father, the scientist in the Red Room, Pietro, the kid from the trafficking ring, and now Francis. All dead. Nothing's worth it. I can't..."

She broke off, looking down at the ground again, and a shudder ripped through her shoulders, magnified by the armor.

Tony was glad she wasn't looking at him. He didn't want her to see how he was shaking too, but with anger.

After an awkward silence, Fury spoke again. "So you're telling me that you've been sneaking around behind the Avengers backs? And _none_ of you realized a twelve year old was conning you? What the hell! If you can't control your kid, Stark_"

It was Steve that got in between the two Starks and Fury.

"Back off," he told Fury. Tony was glad that it was Steve, though he was shocked. If Tony had tried to tell Fury anything, then it'd just turn into a screaming match, and Holly didn't need to see that. Not now. She was still staring at the ground, jaw clenched tight like she was trying not to scream. Or to cry.

"Back off?" Fury exclaimed. "She_"

"She is on my team, and I'm going to take care of it," Steve said firmly. He knew what Tony did- that being yelled at was not what Holly needed right now. He didn't know what she needed, but it definitely wasn't Fury scaring her.

Tony glared at Steve as he called the shots regarding his kid. "Um, excuse me, but_"

"And as much as we all want to say how we personally feel about it, as the team leader, I'm saying that it's she's Tony's daughter, and it's his responsibility that comes first. She'll meet with me, the team, and her parents. Tony, would you like Director Fury to stay?

Oh, Fury was boiling now. He was sure that if it was possible, steam would be coming off that shiny bald head of his.

But regardless, he needed Fury to protect Holly. Especially after the circus of a UN meeting earlier today.

"Sure, that's fine, whatever," Tony said. "But she needs to clean up first. Pepper- you can override Holly's suit to get Nova to dismantle it. Can you and Jane_" he hadn't finished his sentence before they were gone, heading towards medical.

* * *

After the adrenaline spike from yelling at Fury, I was snapping out of the stupor enough to get out of my suit and into the shower. My hands were shaking. I couldn't get the view of his body out of my brain. And Deadpool had just wasted him… he'd won, he'd broken so many body parts on Francis that it didn't matter that Francis couldn't feel pain, Francis could hardly sit up, he'd been knocked down… and then he shot him. He shot him.

I'd scrubbed at my skin to the point that it was red, but I couldn't feel it. Still, I knew I had to pull myself together. Fury and Steve were in the living room, waiting to yell at me.

Even though I didn't know what they'd do, I wasn't afraid. I'd gone behind their backs- I'd deal with whatever consequences, no matter how painful.

Someone, probably Pepper, had brought up a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t shirt for me, and I changed into them. Jane had already done a preliminary assessment before I'd gotten into the shower- it was funny, she was more concerned with the stitched up bullet graze than anything else. Nova was talking for me, and I was glad- she said nothing about the Defenders or the nurse that'd stitched me up, making it sound like I had done it. The Defenders had kept my secret- I'd keep theirs. And Nova was an AI- she could lie effectively, whereas right now I couldn't even speak. Of course, Claire's work spoke for itself- it was way better than mine, and the scar from it wouldn't be as bad as the one on my face. But Jane didn't appear to pick up on that.

Tony had given everyone snacks and drinks while I'd been cleaning up. It didn't appear like they were talking much, and everyone was silent when I walked in. But as soon as I sat down, the discussion started. I felt numb. Even sitting between Tony and Pepper on a couch, hands wringing a water bottle as I listened to the adults discuss me as if I wasn't there, I couldn't get angry again. I couldn't even feel surprised that Natasha, Clint, and _Steve_ thought I'd done the right thing and was defending me.

Natasha was the most adamant. "Yes, it was stupid, yes, it was dangerous, but she tried contacting us- if it hadn't been for the UN meeting_"

"We got there in time after the meeting, Agent Romanoff," Vision interrupted. "And_"

"We did not! We got there as the shipyard was crumbling, as that old helicarrier was collapsing_"

"And she _did_ locate a major SHIELD target_"

"We'd have found Francis eventually, Rogers," Fury snapped. "We didn't have to have a twelve year old go rogue. If this gets out-"

"Can you stop worrying about what the media thinks of us for five minutes?" Clint fumed. "Holly did everything according to protocol- or whatever protocol that the shattered pieces of SHIELD has left. Francis was a target for us- that's who Nat and I were tracking, Holly- and we lost his trail. We knew he was moving back toward New York. What if Holly hadn't gone, and he'd escaped and grabbed her again later?"

"Well, if she wasn't sneaking around Hell's Kitchen without us knowing, and doing what she was supposed to, she probably wouldn't be out in the open to be kidnapped again_"

I winced. I'd wondered when someone would bring that up. Bruce did have a point.

Tony stood up and held his hands up, effectively stopping everyone from continuing to jump down everyone's throats. "Enough. Holly?" he looked at me, his eyes hurt, disappointed.

I looked at him. "Yeah?" My voice sounded strange. Brave. Not how I felt.

"Tell us your side of things. From the beginning."

Nova began to speak, projecting from the speakers that Friday usually used instead of the small one in my glasses, but Tony interrupted her, sounding like he was at the end of his rope. "I want to hear it from her, please, Nova."

And then everyone was looking at me.

I took a deep breath. Another one. One more. And then I tried to explain myself.

I started with the day that the Avengers had left me with Natasha and Pepper to go try to save Jemma Simmons, the day Deadpool had broken into school and told me that Francis was on the loose. I explained that I'd accepted his offer to be trained and track down Francis because I couldn't sit back and do nothing while he was possibly mutating more kids.

I described our training sessions, watching Fury's interest, Pepper's fear, and Tony's expression growing darker and darker. Natasha and Clint were too good at hiding their emotions, and Bruce's face was blank. Wanda… her face didn't show pity. Empathy, maybe?

Without revealing the Defenders, I told them about the trafficking ring and the death of the boy.

I finished with the argument with my history teacher, the phone call from Deadpool, everything that happened until I stepped into the taxi.

When I finally stopped talking after what felt like an hour, Tony's eyes were squeezed shut, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Everyone but Pepper, get out. You can come back when we're finished talking to our daughter," he said finally, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Fury tried to open his mouth. Natasha dragged him out.

Pepper was still sitting next to me on the couch. Tony was standing in front of me. He hadn't moved since he asked to hear my side of things, except when he'd crossed his arms when I told them I'd crawled through the ventilation system to sneak out of the tower.

But as soon as we were alone in the living room, Tony pulled up a chair in front of me, so close that my knees almost touched his. I squirmed backward, deeper into the couch. I did not want to have this conversation. I didn't know what they'd do. Tony had officially adopted me, but that didn't mean he wouldn't throw me out or beat.

But I didn't think he'd do either of those. I didn't know what he would do, but I was positive that Tony wanted me, wanted to take care of me. Still, I wasn't brave enough to look right at him.

"Do you care what happens to you?" Tony finally spat out. I looked up in shock at his harsh tone. "Well? Do you? Because you could have gotten really hurt, kid. You could have died."

"Tony_"

He held up his hand, cutting Pepper's warning off and waited for me to answer. Apparently, I took too long, because he strode over to the mini bar, poured himself a drink. I flinched. "All you had to do is follow our directions. We tried to set things up as normal for you as possible, give you a normal life, something you've never had, and you just ignore our rules, which were there for your safety, by the way_" Tony was growing louder with each word, gesturing with his hands, a bottle in one of them.

The room flashed and suddenly I was in our rundown townhome in Tempe, with my stepfather drunkenly doing the same thing_

I started as Tony slammed his fist down on an end table, and Stark Tower came back into focus. "...because let me tell you something. _We_ care what happens to you. The rest of the Avengers do too, obviously. But do you actually care? Because if you did, I don't think that you'd be running around Hell's Kitchen!"

"Tony, let her talk!" Pepper yelled at him, placing a hand on my shoulder.

They both looked at me. The only thing I could think to say was, "I'm so sorry I put you through this. I'm sorry. Don't fight you guys. Not because of me. Please…"

Tony's expression relaxed a little. He put his drink down on the bar and crossed the room to sit back in his chair. "I want to hear why you did it. Why'd you feel the need to go behind our backs. The truth. Because I know you're smart- if your only reason was that you were worried about Francis mutating someone else, you'd tell us because you'd want the job done fast. And you know that we'd take care of it. You choosing to sneak around and train- that wasn't impulsive, like tonight was, that was planned. Explain."

I struggled to find the words as Tony and Pepper looked at me expectantly. "At first, it was to prove myself," I admitted. "Francis had escaped, and… I was worried that he would come after me again." I shook my head. I hated saying that out loud, that I was afraid. "My first reaction _was_ to tell you guys, but Deadpool- he told me that you wouldn't always be around to solve my problems. And I knew that he was right."

"So you did it to prove yourself?" Tony snorted. "Well, you failed epically there_"

"Tony!" snapped Pepper.

"She did! She just proved to us that we can't trust her. Holly," he looked at me. "I'm angry. I'm furious. You lied to us to do something that was stupid and dangerous. I don't think any of us trust you right now. Jumping off the helicarrier, that was strike one, that was a fluke and we thought that you were doing well, that you were talking to your therapist and trying to make friends in school. Well, kiddo, you hit the ball almost out of the park this time- but we caught it, we caught you, and you're out. You're grounded." He leaned back, folded his arms, and scowled. "No combat training with anyone, no staying after school with Peter, and no workshop for at least three weeks."

I'd been cowering while he'd been scolding me, wondering when the well-deserved hit would come, but when he was done, I straightened up. "No training, no science project after school, and no workshop for three weeks?" I asked for clarification, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Pepper nodded sternly. "At least. And if you stay after school- Natasha or Steve will stay with you. In the room."

That's it? They weren't going to hit me? Or yell more? Or tell me what a disappointment I was?

"And you won't be getting your suit back," Tony added. "Not I decide you're ready. You'll have one for protection- but it'll literally just be a 'tank' suit. One that encases you in a protective shell and sends out an emergency signal."

My heart rate, which was starting to get closer to normal, skyrocketed again. I shook my head. "No."

"Seriously?" Tony asked, his voice raised. "You think you deserve_"

I whipped my head back and forth. "I used to. But the other night- when the kid from the human trafficking ring was killed_" my voice cracked, and I bowed my head again. Tony and Pepper was silent until I continued.

"I don't want to do this," I finally whispered, pressing my palms into my eyes. "I don't want any suit, ever again. I _can't_ do this. Not when it means mistakes I make kill people." My voice cracked, and finally, after weeks of not being able to let any tears fall, I broke down.

My parents stayed on either side of me.

* * *

Tony was in a sour mood after everything was said and done and Fury had left. Holly had gotten control of herself, Pepper had taken her to bed, and Jane gave her a mild sedative so she'd actually get some sleep. They'd contacted Coulson, who had insisted that Andrew replace Etts as her therapist.

The main reason being that Etts was apparently now imprisoned in a SHIELD base for selling Holly's story to the media.

So with that news, and Fury's last rant ringing in his ears, it was no wonder that he couldn't stop pacing.

"Can't believe he thinks I gave up the right to be a parent when I told the world I was Iron Man," he spat for probably the seventh time. The rest of the Avengers were just sitting there, having gave up on telling him anything. "And he thinks that she's too dangerous to be in public and not at SPIRE- the kid's afraid of her own shadow right now! The last thing she needs is military school!"

"Tony, just drop it," Pepper snapped. "Fury's upset. He's not actually going to make her mutant status public just to have her be forced into SPIRE. He's not stupid- he needs you guys, so he won't mess with Holly."

"Not to mention Bruce and Thor pointed out that she's not psychologically cleared for the school and that forcing her into it might make her into an eventual hostile," Natasha added, her eyes stormy.

Steve stood up. "Fury got a lot of things wrong tonight. But he did get one thing right- we have to stop 'playing family' and start doing our jobs." He looked around at the Avengers, as if daring them to say anything. "The world needs us. Tony, Holly needs you. But the rest of us should go to the compound and get to work."

Wanda slowly nodded. "I think I'm ready."

"I'm going, too," Vision added quickly.

"Rhodey will probably be in," Tony mentioned. "But Bruce_"

"I'll stay," he said quietly.

Clint grimaced. "I'm out, guys. For a while- Laura and the kids, they need me."

"Sam with probably be in. So that's four New Avengers to train. Tasha and I should be good with just us two, but Thor_"

"I will be going back to Asgard," Thor announced. "My people need me- and I need to do some research as well. But I'll come back every fortnight."

"The compound should be ready for us in a week," Steve said. "That'll give us plenty of time."

"So that leaves us, Bruce, and Holly_"

"And me," Natasha added.

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"Natasha?" Steve asked, uncertain.

"With everyone watching her, Holly just managed to sneak around all of us. What's she going to do when it's just Pepper, Tony, and Bruce? No offense," she added quickly.

"I can assign Happy to have eyes on her," Tony suggested.

Pepper groaned. "The day that happens is the day that Happy has a heart attack. And Holly would outsmart him in roughly twenty seconds if she wanted to."

Natasha shrugged. "I'll keep eyes on her. Keep her out of trouble. Be a friend to her- it's pretty obvious, psychologically she's wrecked. She's hit rock bottom. The good news is, there's nowhere for her to go but up, now. So unless you need me to help instruct, Cap, then I'm staying here," she stated with finality.


	44. Waking Up

Even though everyone seemed mad at me, no one came out and said it. It was business as usual for everyone in Stark Tower, except now Natasha was stuck by my side constantly unless I was sleeping or with Tony or Pepper. When I'd told her timidly that she didn't have to waste her time and should go do something worthwhile, she'd coldly replied, "Can't. Have to make sure you don't jump into the ventilation system."

So there was that. Now I had a 24/7 assassin shadow.

I was completed busted as far as school went. For being insubordinate and walking out of history class then leaving school, I was suspended until Monday. Normally, I wouldn't be upset about it, since it meant that I could spend time with the Avengers, but whoever had contacted my 'mom' had also let Natasha know how badly I was doing in classes. After Tony and Pepper had a heated debate about pulling me out or not, it was determined that I was going to take accountability for my actions.

I had no smart aleck retort about already graduating after listening to them argue, and instead immediately agreed. When Tony left to go to the compound and Pepper went downstairs to do CEO stuff, I setup my laptop and school stuff that Natasha had somehow already procured from the school for me. After forming an action plan with Natasha's guidance, I got to work.

First, with a little bit of help wording it correctly from Natasha, I sent an email to my teachers apologizing for my disrespect and my lack of effort with a promise my work would be in Monday, whether they accepted credit for it or not. Then I compiled the lengthy list of all missing assignments and got to work on the pile of busywork that would probably take me up until Monday morning if I didn't sleep.

As much as I hated redoing the meaningless work of the high school curriculum, I realized that I hated the disappointment on Tony and Pepper's face more. Lying to them, or omitting the truth, had hurt them more than I ever would have thought. And them arguing in front of me, because of me…

Well, I knew what I had to do, and I was more than willing to do it.

I had to become the perfect 'normal' child that Pepper wanted. The normal child that wouldn't stress Tony out, or cause Fury to have an aneurysm.

The problem was, I didn't know how to be normal. I'd never done it in my life. Not when I was the pariah of the apartment complex I lived in growing up (I liked school, then- it was an escape when I actually got to attend, and later when I did the work online, I thought it was the route to the exit of Hell and the entrance to college).

I hadn't been normal when I dug through trash for food, or spent hours locked up reading scientific journals and textbooks from the local library with the light of a weak flashlight I'd built myself. I'd survived then, not been normal. Now, I didn't have to train to be an Avenger, I didn't have to worry about getting beaten- so now what?

I didn't have to worry about the 'yet' what. The weekend was a monotonous loop of homework. The only interesting things that happened was running with Wanda every day and Tony and I trying to play the gaming system Rhodey had given to me. Despite the fact that I definitely didn't deserve to take a break, after dinner, when the team relaxed, they insisted I put the assignments assign. After messing around with the other games, Tony and I decided our favorite was _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,_ and we began to work together to beat it as the Avengers watched and made snarky commentary. Tony loudly complained about the graphics and game glitches that caused us to keep getting 'game over', but I don't think anyone was fooled. We may be two geniuses, but the temples and puzzles in that game were kind of hard.

Running with Wanda was a nice break from the tension in the tower. She'd convinced the adults that I'd be okay with just her if we both wore tracking bracelets. So on Saturday, Jane had decided I wouldn't hurt myself if I ran, Wanda and I did a four mile loop, her claiming it'd help me clear my mind.

And surprisingly, it did, until I got back, showered, and Dr. Andrew Garner, the psychiatrist who evaluated me when I was in the hospital was waiting for me in the living room with Tony and Pepper.

I tolerated Andrew way more than I had Etts, who apparently was 'no longer qualified' to have me as a patient. I took this to mean that I'd officially gone crazy, and Andrew was the best that SHIELD had to offer. But surprisingly, I found that even though talking to him wasn't any easier, he made me feel a bit more comfortable when we talked about the tough stuff. Mostly, we talked about Agents Simmons and Fitz (who he apparently knew!). During the first appointment, I almost decided I liked him, until he gave Tony and Pepper a bottle of sleeping pills with the 'strong' suggestion (aka- order) that I take them.

Something about me being sleep deprived being no help when sorting through my 'issues'. Whatever.

Spending time with Tony playing a video game and running with Wanda almost made me feel like I really was a normal person again. I just wished that the feeling could last- the Avengers didn't talk about anything other than moving to the compound now, a constant reminder that they were leaving.

I wasn't looking forward to school Monday. Not only because I'd have to face my teachers, but also because Peter Parker had been texting me almost nonstop. I finally texted him back, but only told him I wasn't hurt and would be back at school Monday.

I managed to avoid being alone with him and his questions until Wednesday. The last few days had been more awkward at school than usual, a feat that I had previously thought was impossible.

All my teachers except my history teacher had accepted my late work, warning me that although I was new and they understood 'switching schools' was hard (their assumption- not an excuse I'd made), I needed to put in effort. Despite sending the email, I also apologized sincerely in person for being disrespectful to them by _not_ turning in my work, which was the truth. It wasn't their fault that I just wasn't interested in anything they had to teach me.

My history professor was adamant that I'd end up failing his class. Now I was faced with giving an oral report on Grandpa Stark next month. Which would probably be almost as bad as answering Peter's questions about my 'mission' last week.

We met in the Chemistry room during lunch, to Peter's enthusiasm and my dismay. I had already told him that I'd help him complete the science project. But I didn't want any part in presenting it. I didn't care about the credit, and he could have it for Spider-Man, I'd assured him. What I didn't tell him was why I'd never use the cloaking device- I would never walk into a fight again.

"Did you totally kick butt? Did you go solo or were the Avengers with you? When's your next mission?"

I stared at him blankly. I had no doubt that he had no reservations about being a superhero- that he didn't know what I did, what the Avengers did, that it wasn't all saving lives and arresting bad guys.

Sometimes, it was being captured by an enemy because you ensured that a dangerous artifact was delivered to the good guys. It was losing a brother, gunned down after sacrificing himself for a teammate. It was listening to a man miss his childhood best friend, who'd died protecting his country. It was nightmares of a man with a metal arm.

I looked at Peter's hopeful face and swallowed the lump that threatened to choke me. For him, Spider-Man was an escape from being Peter Parker, a bullied science nerd. How could I tell him the truth? That I was done 'suiting up', that if I had my way, I'd never fight another bad guy again?

I forced a grin. "Yeah, Pete," I told him. "I totally kicked his butt. First solo mission, too!"

* * *

Pepper and Tony were arguing, one of many midnight fights they'd had over the past few weeks that took place after Holly was sleeping.

"We need to get her away from here- she's a zombie, she's depressed. She wants to be a normal kid-"

Tony shook his head. "I can't leave here. Not with everything that's been happening with the UN. I'm SHIELD's consultant, I need to be here, close to the Compound, if there's ever an emergency, and_"

Pepper threw her hands in the air. "Putting work before your own family again, Tony?"

He gritted his teeth, trying not to lose it. Trying to understand where Pepper was coming from. "When it means there will be a world for Holly and you to live on, yes!"

He'd shocked Pepper by calling her his family, he could tell. Strangely, this upset him even more, that she was shocked. He ran his hands over his face. "What the hell can we do?" He asked in a whisper. "She should feel safe being herself. I hate that she's _trying_ to be an average kid. Which she's not even succeeding at- I read those parenting books Hawkeye got, there's no way an almost teen should be that polite."

Pepper laughed a little and leaned into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "Has she been in the workshop yet?"

Tony shook his head. She'd been ungrounded for a few days now, but when he asked her what she was going to build first in celebration, she said she didn't have any ideas. "I'm about to have Fitzsimmons say they have something to show her, just so she'd actually get excited about _something_. She hasn't even turned Nova on since the fight at the shipyard. I've been checking- I wanted to make sure she wasn't having Nova do her homework for her."

Pepper led him over to the couch and they sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in thought. "We could send her to Clint's," Pepper suggested. "Get her out of the city, get her away from all of this."

Tony had to swallow back his emotion and think about it before he shot the idea down. "Can't do that to Clint. She's a living, walking target. And if they find her there, and Clint's family gets hurt…"

"I know. They're all coming here next weekend. If that doesn't cheer her up, or at least snap her out of it, Garner is right. We're going to have to start looking at other options."

"I know."

October passed in a dull haze. Every day, I ran, chasing the runner's high that came after the workout. After Wanda, Vision, and Steve went to the compound, Natasha ran with me. I would go to school, force myself to interact with classmates, work through lunch in the Chem room with Peter, go home, do my homework, show it to and get it checked by Natasha, make dinner (we'd moved on from sewing to cooking in home ec, and I needed all the practice I could get), play Zelda, and take the sleeping pill.

I met with Dr. Garner whenever he was available, usually two to three times a week. He had me do a lot of weird exercises, mainly giving me a scenario and having me compare Tony and Pepper's probable reaction to my mom and stepfather's. It helped me feel more at ease around the inhabitants of the tower, even if I didn't speak unless I was spoken to. And at least he didn't mention anything about Deadpool, the Red Room, or Francis.

So I was trying my best to be the perfect normal kid. I did my homework, stayed out of trouble. I didn't go into the workshop or talk about higher level science with Bruce or Tony. Thanks to the sleeping pills, I rarely had nightmares. I wasn't scared or angry- I was just numb, how I'd felt since I got home from the shipyard. The only time I felt like myself was when Peter and I worked on our cloaking device. It was easy to joke around with him, it was easy to talk to him.

Based on everyone's reactions, I figured I was succeeding at pretending I was normal, even as my gut called me a coward.

And near the end of October, so did Peter Parker.

* * *

Peter had quickly become my best friend, even more than Wanda had been. I could tell him everything, but without the fear of getting in trouble or worrying Tony and Pepper. So he knew that I was in trouble for going rogue and chasing down Francis.

However, he didn't know that the battle hadn't ended in Francis' arrest and the deaths of soldiers that fought for him. I'd left that undiscussed, letting him come to his own conclusion.

We'd finished the cloaking device- now, it was less about building it and more about perfecting it. We had to make it smaller, and the easiest way to do that would be to create a smaller device to power it. But the Arc Reactor couldn't show up at a science fair, and anything smaller would decrease the already limited (eighty-two seconds) time that someone could stay invisible while moving.

I had half a mind to ask Jemma or Fitz about it. But I didn't want to bother them, and I didn't know if they knew I was done training. Maybe they'd only been so nice to me because I might go to the Science and Technology Academy one day.

I didn't want to find out.

Because we were testing it, it wasn't unusual for Peter and I to meet in the wrestling room. Despite the smell, it was the perfect open sized area, and the rubber mats (we hoped) would stop any electrical issues from damaging the school. We'd turn it on and practice ducks, rolls, flips- Peter's spider powers apparently gave him the ability to jump higher and farther than a normal human, so he did the brunt of it, although I did some, too- we had to make sure that it would cover everything, no matter how erratically we moved or if we landed badly.

So when I walked in and Peter had nothing with him and was wearing his gym clothes, I should have turned around and went to the lunchroom.

"I want you to teach me some of the stuff you learn from the Avengers," he said immediately, before I'd even closed the door behind me.

I shot him a look of panic, suppressing the urge to check the hallway to see if anyone had heard him. "You know I'm undercover, right?"

He grimaced. "Yeah, sorry!" But then, he looked at me hopefully. "So will you do it? You said Black Widow trains you_"

I took a deep breath. "Trained, Pete. She doesn't anymore."

"But I thought you were ungrounded now?" He asked, befuddled. "Wait- they won't let you train anymore still? That seems kind of backwards."

Man, I wished that I could take the easy road out. That I could blame it on the Avengers, that they thought I was a little kid and couldn't handle it.

But I was a bad liar. And even though I'd never had a friend before, I was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to lie to them.

"I quit training." I watched him carefully for his reaction.

"But- why?"

I didn't want to go there. I turned toward the door, ready to leave.

"Holly! What happened?"

"Do you really, absolutely want to know?" I spat out, dropping my backpack and whirling to face him, crossing my arms.

He recoiled at my expression, then steeled himself. "Yes."

"Every single time I get involved, innocent people die," I whispered through the lump in my throat. "If I had let the Avengers handle Francis, then odds are the soldiers that I fought and knocked out wouldn't have been buried under the rubble. If I'd called the Avengers to bust that child trafficking ring, people who could actually handle it, then that kid would still be alive. And I bet if I hadn't gone to Sokovia, if Clint wouldn't have had to carry me to a lifeboat, maybe Pietro wouldn't have had to use himself as a human shield to save him because Clint would have noticed the kid he was trying to save earlier."

I shuddered. I had spent the last month not thinking about it, the people I'd directly or indirectly killed- why would I? I didn't have to fight or train, I wouldn't be put in the situation again.

Peter's expression was sympathetic. I didn't want to see it. Or especially, hear it. "Holly- accidents happen in battle, whether you're there or not. What's important is that you acted to save innocent people."

"How would you know?" I asked maliciously. "You've never even been in one."

His expression darkened. "Yes, I have," he said cooly. "Exactly one. Except I didn't act. Not until it was too late. And my uncle was killed because of me not acting."

He pushed past me, out of the room. "If you don't want to help me, fine. But I'm not going to be a coward and sit back when I could help other people." He glared at me one last time, and then he was gone.

* * *

After school, I slammed my locker shut and tried to compose myself as I went to meet Natasha. Stupid Peter- I hadn't been able to focus well in my afternoon classes, and my emotions were still obviously written on my face. Unless I wanted to tell Natasha that I'd gotten into a fight with another mutant, I needed to get my act together.

But I couldn't just ignore that maybe Peter was right. I'd been in a weird twilight zone for nearly a month, one where all I cared about was getting my homework done and showing Tony and Pepper that I could behave, that I could eat all my vegetables and keep my room clean.

Trying to ignore what I had done in the past, what I might do in my future.

Natasha and I had been walking less than thirty seconds when I asked, "Do you think I'm a coward because I don't want to fight anymore?"

She silenced me with a look and a tiny shake of her head. I knew what that meant- not here. "How was school?" she asked casually, and I tried not to groan as we started another mundane conversation. I'd lived for them the last few weeks. But now- it was like Peter had given me an electric shock. I was awake again.

Like every Friday since everyone had left us, Natasha led me through Central Park, stopping to get hot cider and cinnamon donuts from a vendor, and then finally stopped when we were at a secluded bench among the trees. Usually, we didn't talk about anything serious, and she would just leave me to my thoughts, but she was getting down to business today. "Okay," she said, handing me a donut and sitting down. "You want to know if I think you're a coward?"

I took the donut and sat. "Yeah," I nodded, suddenly unsure if I wanted to know what Natasha- someone who's opinion mattered to me, was second really only to Tony- really thought.

She thoughtfully sipped some cider. "What do you think?"

I shrugged, looking at the ground. "I think that Tony's blood pressure and Pepper's ratio of red to grey hairs is better when I don't want to be in the fight."

She chuckled, but didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, a solemn expression on her face, she looked me in the eyes and said slowly, "I think that you need to decide what's best for you. The situations we get ourselves into are life-threatening. If you don't want to fight- and that's okay if you don't- and you admit that you don't want to, that doesn't make you a coward."

"But I'm not being brave," I contradicted her. "If I don't help you guys, and one of you gets hurt_"

She cut me off. "You shouldn't fight to protect us- we can take care of ourselves. It would be more cowardly if you pretended to be brave, was in a fight, and then chickened out midway through because you were only putting on a front to please other people. Do you understand?"

"Not really. If you go into the fight, but fail later, then at least you tried, right?"

She was quiet for a few minutes as I carefully observed the scuffs of dirt I could kick up with the toe of my high-tops. Finally, she told me, "It depends on what you consider failure. Eat your donut."

I looked up at her. She was smiling at me, a little sadly.

After Natasha and I polished off the donuts and cider, we hurried back to Stark Tower. I was more confused about my role than ever. The spy was acting more reserved than she usually was around me, and I worried that I answered her question wrong. Did she just want me to be normal too?

My thoughts raced around until the elevator doors opened, and I yelped in surprise.

The sight that greeted me in the communal living room was the best thing that I'd ever seen.

Steve, Wanda, Vision, and Sam were there, lounging on couches, grinning at me. Tony and Pepper hopped off the barstools they were seated at and Tony hugged me, telling me, "Convinced these workaholics to come home for the weekend."

"That's rich, coming from you," Pepper laughed at him. I smiled my first real smile in ages, my fight with Peter forgotten.

* * *

Naturally, Earth's mightiest heroes hadn't come home just to hang out with the world's smartest twelve year old. They had a press conference Saturday afternoon to talk about the 'New Avengers' and basically convince the world that they were safe in case of an alien attack. Or a crazy mad engineer. Whichever.

Friday night was a blur of pizza, video games, and movies, and when I finally got to bed, it was late. In the chaos, Tony and Pepper forgot about my sleeping pill, and I didn't remind them, so I expected the highlight reel of nightmares that came to haunt me.

I didn't expect to be literally pulled out of bed by the Sokovian Avenger.

I wasn't even fully awake when I felt myself falling to the ground, turned the fall into a roll, knocked Wanda down, and bounded upwards.

"It's me!" she yelped, not bothering to use her mutation, but raising her hands in defense.

"You could have knocked," I told her coldly, my heart hammering. I was surprised at my immediate reflex- last July, if someone had tried that, I'd have froze up.

"I did. You obviously didn't hear me," she grinned, taking my proffered hand.

"Sorry I knocked you down," I said as I helped my friend to her feet.

"At least you've still got some self-preservation instinct. All the adults are freaked out, they think you've turned into a zombie or something. Anyway, they told me that you've still been running with Natasha since I left. Want to go with me now?" she asked before I could dwell on her statement.

I just realized that she was dressed in thermal leggings, a long sleeved t-shirt, and tennis shoes. "What time is it?" I asked, noting that the only light came from the one on my desk, the one that I kept on instead of Nova's matrix.

"Just before five. Since when do you sleep in?" She added after I groaned.

"Since I realized how much colder it got here than in Tempe," I shot back, heading to my closet. "I'd rather stay in bed."

"Run fast, you'll keep warm."

Twenty minutes later, Wanda and I had exited the tower. I had tried to tell her it was a dumb idea, especially since I looked exactly like the tabloids' pictures of me- I needed to be at the press conference, apparently, so Natasha and Pepper had died my hair back black. But Wanda told me to throw on a hat and my fake glasses and it'd be fine- it was too early on a Saturday for anyone to bug us.

So, wearing black joggers, a thermal long-sleeved shirt, a zip up with the hood pulled up, and my glasses, I was loose on the streets for the first time in weeks without Natasha.

"If we get in trouble, it was your idea," I grumbled to Wanda.

She shrugged. "They tell me the compound and the Tower isn't a prison. It shouldn't be for you, either."

I had to admit, the new Wanda kind of impressed me. She carried herself with confidence, and although you could tell she still grieved for Pietro, it was alongside a firm resilience- she'd decided that she wouldn't let it crush her.

I wonder if they'd taught her that at the compound. I wondered _how_ you could teach something that.

All I knew is after Sokovia, I wanted to be an Avenger. Fury told me that I would be the last line of defense, that I would be trained, but I would only enter the fight it was nothing left anyone could do, if the world was ending. But now, after running into a fight, I was a wreck. I didn't even understood how that worked- I hadn't even really gotten injured this time and I quit, but after Sokovia, I'd had major brain surgery to save my life and immediately wanted to fight again. I guess I'd have to ask Andrew.

"You've gotten better," Wanda praised me after about a mile, snapping me out of my thoughts. We were about to enter Central Park.

"Not that much," I panted. "You're not even tired yet."

"All we do at the compound is train," Wanda informed me. "So I'm in pretty good shape, now. But I wasn't talking about that- it's obvious that you've gotten better at running through the fatigue- you're ignoring what your body is telling you and your mind wins. Mental toughness. At the compound I learned that's not really something that can be taught. And you already have it."

"You're wrong. I was taught it," I spat, suddenly angry. "My mom and stepfather 'taught' it to me."

"Yet even though you don't need to be mentally tough any longer, you still practice it."

I didn't answer her and was quiet as we went through the park and got back onto the streets. This run wasn't as cleansing as usual. People were out and about now, and it was throwing me off, interrupting the focus that usually took over when I ran. I was just waiting for someone to recognize me.

The other thing that was throwing me off is that I knew what Wanda wanted to talk about, and I wasn't going there. No one was going to make me go back into training. Wasn't worth _anyone's_ blood on my hands, bad guy or not. No one was going to force me to fight_

As we rounded the corner onto another block, a building exploded.


	45. The Iron Omega

Wanda grabbed me and threw me behind her before using her powers to stop pieces of rubble from crushing us.

"All right?" she asked, her eyes sweeping over me.

"Yeah!" I yelled back, my facial expression begging to differ as I picked myself up off the ground and took in the hole in the wall that had been formed from the last.

Her back was still turned to the explosion. Natasha would yell at her for that later. But right now Wanda was ordering me, "Then get somewhere safe- arg!"

I stumbled backwards as more rubble exploded and pieces came at her from her blind spot, knocking her down, knocking her unconscious.

A man-or woman- dressed in all black stalked out of the hole he'd made in the building. They had their hood up and a white expressionless mask that hid any distinguishing features.

Pedestrians stupidly stood there, watching as Wanda fell, then their eyes turned toward me.

Watching me not knowing what to do, fear freezing me into place, as I realized that when Wanda had gotten me behind her, it had caused my hood to come down.

It didn't take long for them to put the pieces together, especially since I looked exactly like the tabloids description of me, minus having my glasses on. All I could do was be thankful that there weren't many people about due to the early hour. "That's Scarlet Witch and Holly Stark!" I heard someone yell.

Later I realized that running never crossed my mind, like it would have before I ran away from Tempe. With a rush of understanding, I knew the difference; I wasn't just out for myself anymore. Wanda was down. Innocent people were in danger.

And unlike in Tempe, I had the ability to protect myself and protect them.

I threw my hand up to my face, turned my glasses on, and my HUD lit up.

"Good to finally talk again," Nova called to me bitterly as I tensed, watching him stalk toward me. "I guess now you need me."

How did I explain to her that the one thing she was built for, I couldn't do it anymore? "Nova, I'm sorry, I_"

My HUD was flashing as she surveyed the scene. "I know. I still see and hear everything you do when you wear these, you know. I don't blame you. But you could have talked to me about what you were feeling. And if we live, we'll talk later. So, options. You don't have a fighting suit nearby or activated," she mourned. "And your bangles, Tony upgraded them, it's gonna take me a few minutes to hack in."

"Nice knowing you, friend," I told her shakily as the person came closer and closer.

"You better do something to buy me time."

I took a deep breath, took my AI's advice, and rushed the attacker, hoping that I was taking them by surprise.

But a mess of red and blue cotton connected with them first.

"Your costume looks even worse up close!" I told Spider-Man, the obvious relief in my tone masking the joke. It was pretty bad- he had on blue sweatpants with red boots over them, a blue long sleeved shirt, a red hoodie with the sleeves cut off, and what looked like a red book cover with goggles protruding from two holes he'd cut for his eyes.

Peter turned to face me, his atrocious mask and goggles get up blocking any expression. His hood was up as well, and it looked as if he'd drawn a spider on his chest in black Sharpie. I noticed the webshooters poking out over fingertipless red gloves. "If you're not going to help fight this guy, at least get your friend and these innocent people out of here!" He snapped. Obviously, he still remembered our fight yesterday. He gestured with his wrists, and web shot in the guy's face.

Despite being blinded by web, the guy clambered to his feet and wildly started shooting a gun. Instinctively I dropped to the ground, covering as many of Wanda's vital organs with my body as I could.

As soon at the shots let up, I bounded to my feet and started to drag Wanda out of the way of the fight. It was hard- during the month that I'd done basically nothing, the little muscle I'd gotten from workouts with Steve and Natasha had all but disappeared.

There was one of the guy's guns webbed to the side of one of the buildings near where I dropped Wanda, and I had a urge to go and check out Peter's webbing- he'd talked about it, but I had never seen it.

As I set Wanda down, I noticed that people were recording the entire thing on their cell phones. "What are you doing!" I screamed at them, running over. "Get out of here!" I ordered. They ignored me, instead pointing their phones away from the fight and toward me.

"Avengers are on their way," Nova added to me as I yanked a guy's phone out of his hand, turned it off and shoved it at him. "People are livestreaming this to Facebook!" she added in disgust.

"This isn't the way to become Instafamous!" Peter called in a joking tone, still fighting the dude and all his ammunition- the fight had brought him within earshot of me and Nova. I didn't know how he sounded so cheery during the fight- maybe he was crazy. It was a miracle that people hadn't been shot yet. But his tone went from joking to serious in no time flat as he barked, "Holly- there's people in that building!"

My clothes weren't fireproof, but then again, neither were the people in the now burning building that the man had somehow blown.

Mostly what I would remember about rushing into the burning building was the heat, even though I knew that smoke was the bigger danger. It was a killer. Breathing it in was baking my lungs, singeing my eyes. Thanks to it being so early, the building- which I realized was a bakery- was mostly empty. With Nova's help pinpointing them, I helped a total of five injured but awake people out and dragged out one unconscious person- the baker, I think. All the while, I tried to take as little breaths as possible- In the end, I think I took a half dozen. Too many.

It felt like forever. Nova later told me it was less than two minutes.

"Got it, Holly! Your bangles are off!" Nova called to me as I stumbled out into the fresh air again, hacking and gasping from the smoke I'd inhaled.

Just in time. It'd been so long since my mutation wasn't blocked that I'd forgotten the relief of expending my pent-up energy. As stiffness I didn't know existed fled my muscles when the energy seeped through them, I looked back at the fight, feeling more alive than I had in a month.

Peter had been doing well, but he had just been knocked down, and it didn't look like he was getting up. Before, Peter could use his webshooters to pull the grenades out of the way of the stupid bystanders. But now when the bad guy chucked an explosive- homemade grenade?- toward the thinning crowd, Peter wasn't there to save them.

I had no choice- I launched myself toward it, trying to thicken the air particles between me and the grenade as I went, praying that it would work_

It exploded.

I couldn't see what happened, because I'd closed my eyes, but I felt the heat, felt the force against my chest and arms. Wild thoughts of Tony needing the Arc Reactor to keep the shrapnel away from his heart raced through my mind. When I opened my eyes, I grinned in relief as I saw the shrapnel didn't reach any farther than me as I braced against my mostly invisible barrier like I was pushing on a wall.

"There you go, kid!" A guy cheered. I ignored him, instead checking out the scene. It was smoky- no, that was wrong- steam? It looked like when I slowed down the particles to make a solid shield, I hadn't succeeded- I'd only slowed it down enough to have some be solid, and some be liquid. The heat from the blast had caused the steam when it hit the liquidize particles. The solid part had shrapnel stuck in it, so it looked like it was floating in midair, although I knew it was stuck in the barrier.

My mutation had saved me, Wanda, and the people.

I couldn't dwell on it for long. Spider-Man still hadn't gotten up, and the bad guy was in between me and him, looking at me in disbelief. "You're Inhuman?!" He shouted gruffly. He had an accent- Australian, maybe? "They wouldn't even give me a Terrigen Crystal! Why would they give Stark's brat one!"

"What?" I asked, confused, trying to figure out tactically what I should do next. At least if he was talking, then he wouldn't be making things explode, or hurting Peter. But in truth, this was pointless. I had too many things to defend- Wanda, Peter, the infrastructure of the city so taxpayers wouldn't get pissed, and these idiots who were live tweeting everything. I had to attack.

But as soon as I dissolved my barrier and started to form ice shards to shoot at him, another man- _one that had nothing but skin where his eyes should have been_ \- appeared out of thin air, bear hugged him, and they vanished as quickly as the man with no eyes had appeared.

The Hell?

I ran toward the spot where they'd gone and began erratically slicing through it with my hands, making sure they hadn't just gone invisible. Peter was sitting up, his suit looking worse for wear.

As soon as I was satisfied that they were gone, I turned and offered my hand to Spider-Man, helping him to his feet, hearing the applause of the small crowd around us.

"We've got to get you a cooler suit," I told him, my voice sounding scared instead of the nonchalant tone I was going for.

"Yeah," he agreed, and I realized with a jolt that he sounded winded and terrified too. "Who was that? How'd they disappear?"

"I don't know, Pete," I whispered so none of the nosy bystanders could hear, my voice breaking with stress. "I think… I think they were Inhumans."

For a minute, we were twelve and fifteen, scared kids that were doing a grown-ups job because we could. Then we pulled ourselves together, and we were Tony Stark's daughter and Spider-Man again.

"So, you still done fighting?" Peter asked me, a smirk in his voice.

Sirens were getting closer- police and paramedic and fire trucks. About damn time. But I knew- Peter would have to get out of here, fast.

But I owed it to him- my friend- to answer him.

In a fast whisper, I told him, "I don't know. Fury told me that I would only fight if the world is going to end anyway. That I was the last line of defense. I'm not _supposed_ to do stuff like this." I couldn't see his face, but I could imagine that he had the same angry expression on as yesterday, so I added, "But I see what you mean now. I can do good things-those people would have died if I wouldn't have gone into the building. The guy would have killed someone- probably me- if Spider-Man hadn't swung in. I guess I'm not done yet. But there's no way my dad would let me run around loose vigilante style. So- I'm going to go back to Fury's plan-being the last line of defense. For now. I'm in again."

There was a pause as he processed this, and then..."The last line of defense," he mused. "So… The Omega?" Peter forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Is that your name?"

"Shut up," I laughed back.

"Holly!" I heard a yell.

"Gotta go!" I told him, shaking his hand- mostly for the show of the many camera phones pointed our way- again for the cameras before turning to face my father, Vision, Natasha, Steve, and Thor. All were suited up, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Normally, they wouldn't even deal with this street-level stuff. Peter swung out.

"Made a new friend?" Dad asked, looking amused. His expression fell as he looked me up and down. "You hurting?"

"Where's Wanda?" I asked, whipping my head around, ignoring his questions.

"I'm okay, kid," she called. Vision was helping her up. "Saw the last bit, actually. How'd he disappear like that?"

"That's a great question." I caught my reflection on a storefront window and saw what a mess I was- the fire had burned away bits and pieces of my clothes, I had a burn on my left arm that I didn't feel until now, and soot and ash covered me. As I was inspecting my burned arm- not too bad, didn't burn the nerves, at least- someone gently touched my shoulder.

I jumped sideways into Tony, biting back a curse as I hit his armor and probably gave myself a few bruises.

"Just a firefighter," Tony assured me as I turned to face the man. He took his helmet off, and I saw that he wasn't really a man at all. To the young guy- probably just a few years older than Peter, twenty at the most- my Dad said, "We've got a physician at Stark Tower. She's staying with us."

"We figured, sir," he replied. To me, he said, "The captain told me to thank you for pulling those people out. We've got no evidence of any others in there, and we wouldn't have gotten here in time. They still might not make it," he admitted. "But they definitely wouldn't have if you wouldn't have gotten them out. Thank you."

* * *

Once in the safety of Stark Tower, Jane checked Wanda and I out, and Nova and I told them the story. Tony was recording it so they could send it to Maria Hill and she could get it to Coulson. Coulson's team had a 'situation' right now. I hoped that Fitz and Jemma were okay.

When the recorder was off, I added glumly, "Guess the cat's out of the bag now. The world probably thinks that I'm Inhuman, since that guy yelled it. And since, you know, I stopped the grenade and people got it on video. Sorry."

Tony shrugged, like me being able to manipulate particles with willpower and interpretive dance moves wasn't supposed to be a huge secret. "They would have found out eventually, I was just kind of banking on it being when you were older. But forget that. We're just lucky you didn't get hurt."

I cringed and squirmed on the breakfast stool I was sitting on. I had been inhaling from an oxygen mask hooked up to a tank, removing it only to tell about the fight, but now I set the mask down on the counter. "I know it was stupid," I began.

"Yes and no," Tony cut me off, and I heard a distinct tone of pride in his voice. "You called us immediately, got Wanda out of the way, and saved lives. You did the best you could. I can't be mad about that. Only other option you had was running. And I can't yell at you for not running, when I wouldn't have either. Pepper will, so have fun," he smirked. I was suddenly glad that she was busy with preparations for the press conference.

Steve had been on the phone with a SHIELD agent that was in charge of damage control, but he suddenly thanked the agent, hung up and turned to face us, a relieved grin on his face.

"Good news. No casualties from that fight- everyone's okay. You saved their lives. Good work, Holly."

I felt my eyes start to water. "I didn't mess up," I choked out. "Thank God."

* * *

In the lobby of Stark Tower was a horde of reporters. On the platform was a long table with name plates and microphones in front of them. I was next to my dad, with Wanda next to me. The fatigue and soreness from the fight was starting to set in. My burns didn't hurt too bad- Jane had put a salve on them, and Pepper had helped me put on a simple flannel shirt and loose jeans, so I was comfortable- but I could feel the work my muscles had done when I dragged the people to safety, when I'd braced against my shield.

I hadn't said a word during the press conference so far. What was there to say? Tony glared at anyone that tried to address me, although they tried. So much had happened between now and the last conference I'd attended- I'd been adopted, my life story had been released, Francis, and now this fight today- that I was afraid what they'd ask. I wished that I didn't have to be up here.

The New Avengers answered questions about their intentions for the future, Tony and Steve evaded questions about the Avengers' relationship with the UN, and I sat quiet.

But it couldn't last forever. Finally, one reporter withstood Tony's death glare and got out, "Ms. Stark, will you be going to the Avengers Facility to train? Will you be joining the Avengers on missions in the future?"

I looked at my dad. He shrugged and raised his eyebrows, and I knew he was waiting to hear my answer as well.

I leaned forward and pulled the microphone down so I could speak into it. It made an ungodly screeching noise.

"Sorry," I whispered, then said it louder. "Sorry about that." My voice sounded terrible- the smoke I inhaled made me sound like I was talking through a porcupine. It definitely wasn't that I was nervous. Nope.

"I, um, I'm going to stay with Dad and Pepper. I don't know about going on missions- I'm only supposed to fight if I have to, as a last resort. I'm a kid." That was what I was supposed to say, that's what Tony, Pepper, Maria Hill and I had agreed on. But I wasn't done yet. I knew my face was bright red. "But I can do things that no other kid can, and I've been getting some training. So if me joining on regular missions would help… I'll do it." I felt the Avengers gazes on my face. Cameras flashed, reporters swarmed and wouldn't shut up.

* * *

While sitting around the dinner table that night with only Tony and Pepper, I picked at my food. They might not be mad at me for running into a burning building, but that last sentence during the press conference has caused an uproar. There were three different news stations on right now. All were debating me joining the Avengers. Clips from Sokovia and the fight earlier played and replayed- me fighting the Ultron Sentries, dragging people out of the building, me rushing toward the grenade and stopping it, and Spider-Man and I shaking hands. I felt bad that hardly anyone talked about Peter joining the Avengers, when he'd done most of the work. Besides protecting the people, I was just a famous name. But we'd been texting all afternoon, and he didn't seem to care. Our fight from Friday was forgotten as well- he was just worried about who the Inhumans were.

But the clips of me- they were stupid. They were a highlight reel. They didn't show Clint carrying me to a lifeboat, or how scared I was. They were trying to make a kid look like a hero, and even though maybe they could con the rest of the world, they couldn't con me. I had a lot of work to do.

None as important as finding out how my family felt about it.

"Dad? Pepper?" I finally asked. "Are you mad at me?"

Pepper looked down, and I tensed up. Tony and I stared at each other. "We're not mad, Holls," he said eventually.

"We're just worried," Pepper said, looking up, an edge to her voice. "You're twelve, you don't understand- the fight at the shipyard went bad, and you shut down. Now a fight went well, and you're suddenly back in. You can see how that looks to us. You aren't as smart as you think you are, Holly, not when it comes to this."

I recoiled from the sting of her words, wondering why they hurt just as much, if not more, than what my mom and stepfather used to do. I bit my lip and looked down, then flinched as Pepper cupped my face in her hand and gently lifted my head back up.

"We just don't want to see you hurt," she explained, moving a piece of hair out of my eyes.

Tony jumped in, looking relieved that Pepper wasn't yelling. "We're behind you, kiddo, no matter what you decide."

"We have some rules," Pepper stated immediately. "You're still seeing Garner twice a week. And no more leaving the Tower without an adult, like you did today."

"Wanda _is_ an adult," I said, confused.

Tony smirked. "No, you need an adultier adult. Someone who's better at adulting."

"So… Pepper, Natasha, Bruce,and Steve, and that's about it?"

He flicked me. "Hey."

"Focus," Pepper interrupted. "One of the original Avengers. It's not that the rest aren't capable of protecting you- but you just declared to the world that you're being trained, and showed them that you've got powers. Someone would be more likely to mess with Wanda than Steve. I don't think I need to specify what people might try to do to do."

I involuntarily shuddered, remembering Fury's warning. "People might kidnap me for ransom or to try to control the Avengers, exploit me, or dissect me to figure out why I can manipulate energy."

Pepper and Tony looked surprised, like they'd thought that they would have to explain what people might try. After a second, Tony nodded. "Exactly. Now- the workshop- you need to build your suit."

"I can build another one?" I asked, feeling a huge grin spreading across my face.

Tony smiled back at my enthusiasm and nodded. "I expect you to build multiple. But take it from me- obsession is bad, or something. I also will check and double check and technology that you plan on using in training or for a fight, to make sure it's functioning."

"Sounds good," I agreed, my mind racing with ideas for suits. "I like the idea of building it from the ground up. I never really got the chance- and this way I'll know exactly what I can do with the suit…" I trailed off at Pepper's stern gaze. "What?"

"No missions," Pepper stated.

I looked at her and Tony, my enthusiasm ebbing. "But_"

Tony stared right back. "No exceptions. You're _twelve_. I'm pretty sure that falls under child endangerment. Do you want Maria Hill to have a heart attack when she has to deal with that? Or worse, get grey hair?"

"I'm a mutant," I blurted out before I could agree. "I've got no rights."

The fact was as cold as the food on our plates.

"We're letting you train- Steve is clearing it so you'll be going to the compound with me and Natasha on weekends for team training- but you are not going to be actively participating in missions. No one would clear it, no matter your preferences, or your 'legal rights', so let it drop," Tony said curtly.

"Sorry. I just_ I want to help people. I want…" I trailed off. I couldn't explain it- the thought that I'd been through so much crap and survived, that whatever higher power was out there wouldn't be that cruel to let me lived through abuse and torture if I wasn't here for a reason.

Are you sure this is what you want?" Tony finally asked when he realized I wasn't going to continue. "It's got to come from you."

"I want to be prepared."

"Get Natasha to work with you," was all he said. Pepper, looking upset, stood up and walked out of the room. Tony followed her.

As I cleared the table, I knew that this wasn't the life they wanted for me, even though they knew I could never be normal. I knew they deserved a kid that was normal. Angry, I shut off the damn news stations and went to find Natasha.

After an hour of grueling technique work, my mentor nodded in approval. "Doesn't seem like you've forgotten much of anything. You're serious about doing this?" she asked, handing me a water bottle. It was the first question she'd asked. When I had went to find her and asked to start training again, she'd been expressionless, just telling me to get dressed and meet her in the gym.

"I think that hanging out with you guys is an occupational hazard, and I'd better be able to defend myself," I joked before taking a swig.

"Agent Romanoff, Holly, Tony's calling a meeting in the living room," Friday informed us.

"Do we have time to shower?" Natasha asked. We were both pretty sweaty.

A pause, and then- "No."

"Gross," Natasha muttered. "Let's go see what your impatient father has to tell us that's so important."

We exited the elevator. All of the Avengers- new and original- were there, lounging on the couch with drinks. Tony bounded towards us.

"You've been named," he said in a monotone, 'creepy' voice.

"I_ what?" I asked, confused.

"The Iron Omega." He raised his glass in my direction, then he flipped a switch and _The Daily Bugle_ online news article appeared holographically from thin air. Written by an 'intern'.

The Avengers were smirking at me, and I repressed the urge to stick my tongue out at them. Freaking Peter Parker and his gig with _The Daily Bugle_.

After they toasted to me and to the New Avengers, I showered and thought about the day's events. I felt awake- alive again. Maybe I wasn't meant to sit on the sidelines. And now- I would get to go to the compound and train with the _team._ And I had a name. I didn't really love my name, but the Avengers seemed to approve, and I was glad that I had one and people knew what to call other than Iron Man's kid. And it definitely was better than the Iron Shorty.

I stopped by the living room again to say goodbye to the team. Thor and Jane were sticking around for a few days, but the rest of them were heading back to the compound. At least I still had them, Bruce, and Natasha. And of course, my parents.

After saying my goodbyes, I escaped down to my workshop, with Pepper's warning that I only had until ten thirty.

I think the workshop was what I'd missed most while trying to be perfect- losing myself in a project, my past melting away in calculations and metal.

Currently, I was drawing up plans for my new suit, Nova and I bantering while we were at it. She didn't admit it, but I think she missed me while I was away. I'd definitely missed her.

After an hour of nonstop work, I leaned back and observed the hologram of the prototype. The design of the suit was thinner- it was meant for speed, not for defense, although it would still stop bullets. The repulsors were going to be modified- instead of the main setting being to blast someone and probably kill them, it would now just stun them, slow them down. The hand pieces would retract to I could manipulate particles.

"I know you're getting sick of people asking this, but... are you sure you want to do this?" Nova asked.

In response, I added color to the hologram of my suit.

And although the colors of the main suit were the same blue and green Tony made my original suit, there was a silver **Ω** on the back of it, the top of the symbol going across my shoulders and the bottom ending just below my ribs.

"Looks flashy," Nova told me.

I smirked. "What do you expect? I'm a Stark."


	46. Flashbacks

The next few weeks felt too easy.

Oh sure, I missed the Avengers that were at the compound during the week, my therapy appointments were uncomfortable as always, and I discovered my absolute hatred for the cold late-fall weather in New York, but I was happy.

On Friday afternoons, as soon as school got out, Natasha and I would now head straight home instead of stopping for cider and doughnuts. As soon as we got there, we took the elevator directly to the roof, where the QuinJet to take us to the compound was waiting. Pepper would make sure I ate a snack and Tony would tell her to come with us, but she'd laugh and say no. I would hug Pepper, and she'd tell Natasha and Bruce to 'take care' of Tony and me, and we'd be off.

The compound wasn't a social visit, and it wasn't easy. We were there to train and work on enhancing our skills. Only the Avengers and the highest clearance of SHIELD personnel were allowed there. Tony told me that Coulson's team stayed there when they weren't on missions, but so far I hadn't seen Fitz or Simmons.

Tony, Bruce, and I would spend most of our time in the labs developing weapons, better security, and vehicles for the Avengers' use. We had different assignments- mine was disappointingly easy, just drawing up designs for ships that would be able to withstand combat in space. If they wanted spaceships, they could call up NASA. It seemed like busywork, but after spending weeks intensely studying astrophysics and aeronautical engineering, I humored them anyway. I remembered the Chitauri from the Battle of New York.

When I wasn't in the lab, I was training with the other Avengers, including Clint. He didn't talk about it, but I think something had happened with his wife, because he was a full time resident at the compound now, and Natasha and him were constantly going off the have private conversations.

This training was different than what I had used to do with Wanda or what I currently did with Natasha. It wasn't just practicing moves; it was all out sparring, using whatever you could to overpower your enemy, and it didn't end until the other person was beaten.

I couldn't overpower anyone in hand-to-hand except Wanda (our mutations clashing meant that we _had_ to use hand to hand, and I was actually better than her). But she and the rest of the Avengers kicked my butt whenever we used any type of weapons or our enhanced abilities. Sometimes I could beat Sam and Rhodey if I was wearing the suit, but my Dad owned all of us.

We also practiced team maneuvers, and I found that I was more useful as part of a team than I was on my own. Steve's shield was big enough to hide my entire body if I was crouched behind it. He could launch me, with his shield too- with my mutation, I really could go flying through the air, speeding up the particles for maximum distance, then slowing them down so I wouldn't crash land. I could use Rhodey or my Dad as a shield, too, their armor hiding me as I blasted things with a weapon or my repulsor.

But when I worked with Wanda was when I really excelled, our mutations feeding off each other instead of clashing. We worked back to back while the other Avengers tried to 'capture the flag' that was between us. We could take up to four of them at one time, but a fifth person tipped the odds.

We also did teams, two on two or three on three, and this was my absolute favorite because now I could maneuver. I hadn't forgotten what I learned from Deadpool, and my random (although very risky) style of fighting that he'd taught me confused them. On the other hand, I didn't have regenerated powers, and if I got hit, I was usually down for the count, even though I could tell the adults pulled their punches with me.

The last weekend before my first real Thanksgiving, I didn't get to join in on any sparring. Instead, Maria Hill made me take a bunch of tests. Agents that I had never seen before were doing the evaluations. There was a physical one, where they timed how fast I could run a 10K, how many push ups, pull ups, and sit ups I could do in a minute, and my flexibility. I don't think I impressed anyone with my physical conditioning. There was only so much I could have done in the five months since Tony had taken me in, and so much of it was trying to get my abused and tortured body healthy.

There was a intelligence test, which I was tempted to throw because it was so ridiculously easy, but I had a strong suspicion that this wasn't just for SHIELD's records- this had to be for the SHIELD academies, or maybe for that prep academy. The only questions I was unsure of were questions related to strategy- there were too many unknowns that the test didn't give me, so I answered based on impulse.

Maria Hill didn't tell me what the tests were for when I finished the stupidly long intelligence test, and I didn't bother asking. Her helping Tony officially adopt me didn't change the cold way she acted toward me. If anything, the Deadpool escapade had made it worse.

The only thing she told me when I finished writing the six-hour exam, was the last test would actually be a psychological evaluation, done by Dr. Garner. I'd glared at her, massaging my sore right hand, and wanted to ask her why she didn't have me be evaluated _first_ , before I'd given myself carpal tunnel. The other two were in my control. A psychological evaluation- that was based on someone else's opinion.

Instead of being snarky, I'd asked when it would be, and she informed me it'd be the first week of December. Then, she paused, gave me a small smile, and told me she hoped I passed.

Maybe Natasha'd threatened her to be nice to me during testing, because Agent Hill was back to normal by dinner.

* * *

I told Peter Wednesday morning about the tests they made me do, deciding that even though he was a security risk, he was my friend, and I needed to confide in someone. "I think it's for the SHIELD Academy," I told him, my voice brimming with nerves and excitement as I sat on top of our lab table, next to the device. I didn't know if I wanted to get in or not. I knew that going to a SHIELD Academy would guarantee me a future where I could work to help protect innocent people. But if I went, I'd leave Tony and Pepper and the rest of them.

"Oh," he said, not sounding excited at all, and he didn't look up, just kept fidgeting with the cloaking device. We were working harder than ever on the device. I wanted it for my suit- Peter wanted it to help him sneak out and into his apartment.

"There's a psychological evaluation though," I added after a second. "I probably won't pass that."

"Bummer," he mumbled, poking a random wire with a screwdriver.

"What's up?" I demanded. Peter was never the moody one, unless he'd forgot to drink coffee. And it had been my turn to buy it for us, and he'd already downed his, so unless they'd given us decaf by mistake, something else was on his mind.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said. He would have convinced me if it weren't for the fact that he was using my usual tactic when Garner and I had our session in the lab- I would fidget with stuff, and to him I probably looked busy, but in truth my mind was too occupied with what Garner was making me think about to do any real work. Peter was just messing with random circuits, there was no purpose.

"Spill, Parker," I told him. "Come on- is it that you don't want to hear about the compound? I told you- if you wanted to train, with your mutant abilities and your brain, you probably could."

"It's not that," Peter said, looking up. With a jolt I realized that his eyes were red. Immediately, I went from feeling curious to feeling uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I asked, this time not demanding. I slid off the table and sat on the stool next to him instead.

He ran his hands over his face. "I just hate the holidays."

Oh, so he was down about Thanksgiving. That was something I could relate to. "Yeah, they suck," I agreed. "This is going to be my first 'real' Thanksgiving- Pepper is going crazy, pulling out all of the stops, making sure the Avengers are going to be home."

When she asked if I had any special request for Thanksgiving, I accidentally mentioned that I was fine with KFC or something, because that's what my mom and I used to do. It was what we could afford. When my stepfather was in the picture, I wasn't invited to celebrate it with them at all. Hearing this, Pepper had gotten all teary eyed. I tried telling her that it didn't bother me, not having a proper Thanksgiving, but I think that'd made it worse.

"She's been decorating all week and the Avengers are into it, too." I frowned, thinking about how out of the American Avengers, Steve had grown up during the Depression, Tony had grown up with nannies, Clint had grown up in a circus, and from what I could gather, Bruce's father was as evil as my stepfather was. "I think it might be kinda their first one, too. As a team. They were all on missions last year."

"This is the first holiday since Uncle Ben died," Peter blurted, looking down.

I felt like a damn fool for blathering on about mine. "I'm so sorry, Peter."

He nodded. "Me, too."

We sat in silence, the only noise the ticking clock on the wall. After two hundred and twelve ticks, Peter softly said, "It's my fault. It's my fault Aunt May doesn't get to celebrate with him."

I felt bile rising in my throat, realizing that this was my first Thanksgiving without my mom, even if we didn't really celebrate. I yanked myself back to reality, trying not to remember the drunken stupor my mom was in last year after my stepfather had beaten me black and blue with his belt."What happened?"I asked Peter, the question coming out fiercer than I meant it to be as I focused on the present.

Peter told me. About how he'd asked for a ride to the library, to do summer work for his advanced classes, but he'd actually went out for the first time as Spider-Man. About how a convenience store attendant that had just been robbed had mocked him, so instead of stopping the man that had robbed the store, he'd let him go.

Less than twenty minutes later, his Uncle Ben was dead, carjacked and shot by the man Peter could have stopped.

I could see the anguish on his face. Knowing it wouldn't do any good to try to convince him that it wasn't his fault, I just reached over and grabbed his hand. "Peter, I'm sorry," I told him, not knowing what else to say. Him being so adamant about helping people made sense now. He'd told me, during the fight we had a few weeks ago, that he'd been in one real fight before, and that he hadn't acted. He hadn't told me the details.

"Me, too." We were quiet for a few more minutes, then the bell rang. Peter pulled his hand away awkwardly and we scrambled to our seats.

* * *

The day after I was named The Iron Omega, I had hesitantly told Peter about how the Arc Reactor would be able to power the cloaking device for long periods of time. He told me that with the Reactor, he wouldn't be able to use it as Spider-Man. "It's not practical for me," he'd explained. "And it really isn't for you, either- think about it. If we could shrink this down so it's pocket-sized, you wouldn't need your suit to turn invisible. We've got to think of something else to power it."

Nova agreed with him.

He'd flipped when I showed him Nova and everything she could do. I was worried that he'd think that I was weird for considering an AI as my friend and confident, but if he did, he never showed it, treating Nova with the same courtesy and respect that Tony and Bruce did to all AIs.

It was Nova that suggested we start to test the cloaking device in different environments. I wished later I'd told her no, but they do say that hindsight is always 20/20.

By now, we'd extended the length of time one could remain invisible to nearly four minutes. But it was still too big for any sneaky functional use- the thing was the size of a serving platter and over ten kilograms. Way too heavy.

Heavy enough so that right now, standing in the pool area we'd snuck into during lunch, my arms were getting tired holding it against my chest as Peter fastened the harness we'd rigged over an extra set of workout clothes I'd brought to school. I hadn't wanted to ask Tony to buy me a swimsuit. Besides, there was no way I wanted Peter to see the scars from Tempe or the Red Room.

"Okay, that should be good," Peter nodded approvingly, stepping back, the cloaking device now fastened snugly to my chest. He seemed cheerful now, the grim morning forgotten.

With a sigh of relief, I dropped my arms. But it was short lived- now, the strain was on my back. "How'd you handle doing flips with this?" I grumbled, shifting my weight.

"I'm a lot stronger than you," Peter reminded me. "If you want me to do it_"

"No, it's my turn," I said immediately. Peter shouldn't have to do all of the testing work. "Besides- if anything goes wrong, I don't know if I could pull you and the device out of the water at the same time."

"Nothing will go wrong," Peter said confidently. I knew that was likely true. We'd weatherproofed and waterproofed the device. It had performed beautifully in the freezing cold rain- it hadn't shorted out when we'd set it in a tub of water- now we just had to see if it would cloak a human being submerged. "We've ran bunches of stimulations, and Nova's blocking and watching the security cameras- she'll be able to give us lots of warning. No one will catch us."

"So let's do it." My enthusiasm masked my worry. I wasn't afraid of being caught by the teachers, and we were confident that I wouldn't be electrocuted, but if we shorted out the device, it would put us back weeks. The wiring was too intricate for us to have a bot work on it- or even really me work on it, with my hands still randomly spazzing out. At least my hand tremors were happening less and less though.

"Camera is on… go!" Peter told me, pressing the button on the camera he'd set up on a tripod. Normally, Nova would just film through my glasses, but I obviously wouldn't wear my glasses while I was swimming.

I flipped the switch, waited three seconds, and pressed the black button to the left of the switch. That would start the field.

With a grin, I watched my chest, arms, legs, and finally hands and feet disappear. Besides my shadow, I no longer existed. We'd have to work on that more after we tested this.

I walked down to the deep end of the pool in a sporadic, jerky fashion, trying to see if my movements would upset the field.

"So far so good!" Peter called. He didn't sound too excited- we'd already pretty much perfected land movement.

I stopped at the edge and looked into the cool water. We'd planned for me to dive in, swim down to the shallow end, and then use the stairs to climb out. I'd been swimming before, knew how to swim pretty well. It was the only way to not die of heat stroke when you lived in Arizona. The apartment structure had a free pool, and my mom and stepdad couldn't afford to run the air conditioning.

The pool here was nothing like the pool I spent summers in when I wasn't locked inside. It easily three times the size of the pool in Tempe, and indoors to boot. So why did something about getting in this pool inside the dim natatorium make me feel so… off?

I put Tempe out of my mind, like Dr. Garner had been helping me learn how to do. Ground myself in the moment, think about what was really happening right now. Ignoring the nagging feeling in my gut, I took a deep breath and dove in.

 _It was dark, I was in agonizing pain, and the metal armed man was looking at me with his hateful expression as he hit the button to provide a shock to the electrodes that were hooked up all over me. I couldn't breathe, and he kept dropping water onto the cloth covering my mouth and nose, I was going to die…_

"Holly! HOLLY!"

I came to, feeling my knees scraping the pool deck. I saw the cloaking device carelessly strewn a few yards away. An arm was across my chest, awkwardly holding me up, as a hand slapped down between my shoulderblades. The impact caused me to cough, water and vomit shooting out of my mouth as I realized I was on all fours on the pool deck.

As soon as I finished coughing, I gasped, air burning my lungs instead of soothing.

Peter kept shouting, kept giving me back blows. "Talk to me! Holly!"

The only thing I could think of to say was, "Stop hitting me."It came out as more of a croak than anything.

Peter immediately let me go, realizing that I was supporting myself on my hands and knees. "What the hell happened!" He shouted again, sounding scared.

I sat back, putting my hands on top of my head to try to open up my lungs. "I…"

"You like, dove in, and then you weren't making any waves, so after a minute then I jumped in and felt around where you made the splash when you entered and you were on the bottom- Black Widow is on her way to pick you up, Nova called her- why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim!?" He stuttered out, all in one breath.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to hold on to reality instead of going back to the Red Room. I knew I'd had a flashback, and that this one wasn't one that I could just brush off as me feeling tired. I suddenly realized how cold I was; my teeth were chattering, and I was shivering. "I can swim," I finally said.

"You were just drowning!" He exclaimed, handing me a towel. "Was it too heavy for you to move with it on, or something?"

I didn't say anything for a few minutes, just focusing on inhaling and exhaling, holding the towel in my limp hand. I felt like I didn't have the strength to stand. Peter just sat with me, waiting for me to catch my breath. Then I asked, "Natasha is coming?"

"Yeah. She'll be here any minute. Holly- what happened? _Is_ the device too heavy to swim with?"

"No. I… Peter, when I was in the Red Room…" It was physically easier to talk now. So why couldn't I tell him about the metal armed man and being waterboarded?

Natasha burst into the pool area, took one look at me, and asked, "What the hell?" before rushing over. She sounded scared, and that shocked me into silence. Natasha was never scared.

"We were trying to test out cloaking device, and she dove in with it, but… but it was too heavy for her to swim with," Peter said, and I started at his lie. I felt a rush of camaraderie- he was covering for me. "So I jumped in, and…. I'm _so_ sorry, Mrs. Stone," Peter spluttered. Thank God he wasn't being his usual fanboy self and kept his cool- if they knew that Peter knew who I really was, he'd probably be sent to SHIELD jail or whatever. And if they found out that Peter was Spider-Man, and they told his aunt, that'd be bad news for him. He told me that she'd freak out.

Natasha probably knew he was lying, but she didn't say anything, just knelt in front of me, took the towel that I was still numbly holding, and wrapped it snugly around my shoulders. I was still trying to focus on everything Garner had taught me about staying calm. It wasn't working. "Nat…" I choked out, my shivering from the pool water intensifying. Definitely wasn't shaking from fear. Nope.

Natasha helped me to my feet, kept her arm around my shoulder. "We're going home."

I looked glumly at Peter and told him goodbye, that I'd text him later. I'd been doing so well with Dr. Garner. Even when I didn't take the sleeping pills, I didn't really have nightmares anymore, and they weren't haunting me during the day. Everything had been going better than I ever could have hoped.

Except now. Would these flashbacks keep happening the rest of my life? Would I always need to slink back to a therapist? What was _wrong_ with me? There was no way I'd be cleared for a SHIELD academy now.

Natasha helped me into the front seat of a car, one of the sleek black undercover SHIELD ones. "Your dad was about to drive his Porsche here," she joked. "Not like that would have been obvious or anything." When I didn't laugh, she said, "It doesn't matter, anyway. You're not coming back here."

"What? But I want to- Peter and I are friends_" I spluttered as she buckled me in. Everything had been going well in school, too. I'd actually liked cooking in Home Ec now, once I realized how similar it was to chem lab.

She slid into the driver's seat. "I know. But you just called me 'Nat' instead of 'Mom'. Don't apologize- even if you hadn't, between your Deadpool escapade and this, it's too suspicious now. You've been noticed. I'm sorry, kiddo. You can still keep in contact with him. In fact, maybe now you don't have to go back, you can let him know who you are..."

I didn't answer. I didn't have the mental capacity to think about how just one person- my friend- changed my entire perspective on repeating high school again. I just closed my eyes, remembering the Red Room and the torture, how vivid it'd seemed in my flashback.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, and before I could register _who_ it was, I was fighting them, trying to fight them off…

* * *

The drugs that Natasha had given his kid to stop the hysterics were finally wearing off, and thanks to the light of Nova's matrix, Tony could see Holly sit up.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony whispered to Holly. Even though he'd tried not to startle her, she jumped anyway, whipping to face him.

"Dad? What happened?" She asked, looked around blearily, taking in the infirmary, the curtain around the cubicle, the IV hooked up to her, and groaned before reaching for Nova's chip that he'd placed on the bedside table. Tony knew that he should have gone to pick her up. His heart had practically stopped when Natasha had carried out of the car.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tony asked, making sure that he spoke clearly so Garner would be able to hear on recording. Garner had agreed that her therapist being there first thing when she woke up was a terrible idea, and was more than willing to just have a recording sent to him to analyze.

She wrapped her arms around her legs. "Peter and I were testing out our cloaking device in the pool. Oh..." she trailed off, the confusion being replaced by a grimace. "Damn. Did I blow my cover? Why am I in the infirmary?"

Tony took a deep breath. Jane had warned her that she might have trouble remembering, between the drugs and almost drowning. "After Natasha picked you up, you were physically okay, but when she got you in the car and started to try to find out what happened, you lost it a bit," Tony explained. "Natasha gave you a mild sedative. Sort of seemed like you needed the sleep, because it's 2 AM now, and it wasn't supposed to last past dinner."

"Yeah… I didn't have a nightmare last night, actually," Holly said sheepishly. "I was up late working on my suit. Wait- Natasha sedated me?" Holly asked, going from abashed to angry. "I hate it when you guys do that."

"Yeah, well when Natasha tries to rub your back and you go all ninja on her, what did you want her to do?"

"I attacked her?" Holly whispered, horrified. "I just remember… being scared. I…" she broke off, looked down.

"Relax, kid, you didn't hurt her," Tony assured her, rolling his eyes at the thought of Holly even scratching Black Widow. "But we've got to know- what happened that made you attack her? If it was a flashback… I used to get those too, you know, nothing to be ashamed of." Tony smiled a little, trying to put her at ease, because he sure as hell wasn't.

Holly looked up, green eyes dull. Tony felt his heart pang at her hurt expression and wondered if he still had a piece of shrapnel stuck in there. He hadn't seen her look like that in weeks, since before the press conference. She'd been doing well, legitimately happy.

Holly took a deep breath and braced herself. "I think Natasha was just a reflex. I was already jumpy, because… well, the device wasn't too heavy to swim with, Dad."

Tony knew that already, from the plans Holly had showed him. "I know. I didn't think it was… and I didn't think you were dumb enough to jump into a pool not knowing how to swim. So tell me."

Holly took a deep breath. "You know I got tortured when I was in the knock off Red Room?" She asked, sounding resigned. "Sometimes, I go back there. Not just the nightmares. Usually, it's only happened if I'm on edge. Like the first day of school, someone grabbed me to tell me I'd dropped my phone, and, well, I dropped _her_."

Tony nodded, trying not to spit out a snarky comment about her _not telling them that first day_. "We'd figured that you'd have them. Why didn't you tell us? And what happened this time?"

Ignoring his first question, Holly took another deep breath. "Well, I wasn't feeling scared or anything. But… the pool… it reminded me of the Red Room."

Tony didn't like where this was going. He remembered being shoved face down into a tub of water in Afghanistan, held there until he nearly blacked out…

His grip tightened on the side rail of the bed until his knuckles turned white. "What did they do to you?" He whispered, unable to keep his voice neutral.

Tears were beginning to roll down Holly's cheeks, and that scared Tony more than when Natasha had carried her in. For a twelve year old kid that had been through hell, she didn't cry easy. If she was now… we'll, whatever she was about to tell him, he'd have to be strong for her. Him getting upset- even if it was on her behalf- wouldn't help anything.

"They waterboarded me. And shocked me. At the same time. And before that, they whipped me. And made me sit in freezing ice water. And hit me. It hurt, Dad. It hurt so much," she cried.

Tony froze, unsure what to do as her shoulders shook. Finally, he acted on impulse, lowered the side rail, leaned forward, and hugged her to him. She buried her face in his shoulder, and if anything, cried even harder. Damn it! He wished that Pepper was here to help him. She was better at this- making Holly feel better- than he was, as her _father_ , he thought bitterly. But Pepper had gone to bed, Tony insisting that he'd get her the second Holly was up.

But at the same time, he thought as he rubbed her back, Tony was glad that it was just him here. Holly didn't need a bunch of questions that Pepper or Bruce or Garner would have asked her. He knew how it felt to have flashbacks and nightmares. How terrifying it was to have your number one asset- your brain- betray you at the worst of times. As she began to get control over herself, he couldn't help asking again, "Why didn't you tell me, kiddo? You… you've never said what they did to you." Even though he didn't want to guilt trip his kid, he was a little bitter. Did she not trust him?

"I didn't want to worry you guys," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I already cause enough trouble."

Tony gave a short laugh. This again. She was smart- when was she going to learn?

"It's time to get this through your thick skull, Holls. We're a team, but we're also a family. If you have a problem- from homework to nightmares all the way to a battle- you ask for help. No matter what it is, you ask. I know you've never had that- Hell, most of us have never you never had that- but that's how a family works." Tony stopped hugging Holly and held her by the shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "You are not a burden. What you do, what you're feeling is important to me, all right? You're important to me. I want to know if you're sad, or scared, if you feel like you're carrying the weight of the world. I want you to believe you can come to any of us, and trust that we will help you to get through it."

Holly nodded. "Okay," she whispered, wiping her eyes on her shirt.

"That goes the same for me," said a quiet voice, and Pepper Potts came through to the other side of the curtain. Holly'd jumped a little, but the relief in her face was imminent as she saw it was Pepper. "I bought _The Lightning Thief_ for you earlier," Pepper explained. "I figured it'd cheer you up if you saw it when you woke up, so I was going to put it next to Nova." She smiled, and added, "I'm glad you're awake, sweetheart."

Tony smiled as Pepper embraced Holly, who thanked Pepper profusely with a huge smile on her face. Holly had timidly asked- the first time Tony could remember her asking for _anything_ \- for a copy of the book just that morning. She'd said her friend Peter told her it was a good read.

"I guess I'm definitely going to fail the psychological evaluation for the Academy now," Holly said in a dejected voice, her smile fading a bit even as she read the back of the book. "Andrew will never clear me."

Tony and Pepper glanced helplessly at each other. They'd been having heated discussions lately about whether or not Holly should even leave them to go to SPIRE this year if she was accepted. There was a spot for her if Garner cleared her, and she'd start in January. They went back and forth, switching positions, asking the other Avengers for advice. Some days, they thought it'd be the best thing for Holly to be around kids her age that had similar talents and interests. Other days, Tony had a panic attack thinking of sending his kid to a place where she had no protection.

While he was at a loss for words, Pepper smoothed Holly's hair away from her face. "Hey," she said. "Chin up. Just because you had a bad day doesn't mean all the hard work you've done with Dr. Garner is pointless. Right?"

Tony breathed a sigh of relief as Holly answered, "Right," in a small voice.

"You should be getting back to sleep. Do you need anything?" Pepper asked.

Holly shook her head.

"Do you want us to stay with you?" Tony asked.

"I've got Nova," Holly answered in a brave voice.

"Okay," Tony and Pepper answered. Tony stood up. "Don't stay up too late reading," he smirked.

"Wait," Holly said quickly. She flushed. "Will… will you read to me for a bit? If you want," she added.

Pepper and Tony had to work to hide their smiles. The first week of November, Holly had told Garner that one of the things that she'd liked the best about living in Avengers Tower was when they'd read _Life of Pi_ aloud together. Rather than immediately doing it (Holly would know that Garner was telling Tony and Pepper about their sessions to help them make Holly more comfortable), they'd decided to wait until she told them.

"Chapter One: I accidentally vaporize my Pre-Algebra teacher," Tony began. He cocked his eyebrow at Holly. "Your friend sure can pick them…"


	47. Thanksgiving

**Author's Note:**

 **Sorry about the long wait! I was finishing up my degree. Thankfully, I'm done now, and should be back to regular updates soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

I awoke with a start, my eyes flying open as I felt someone's hand touching me. I relaxed as I saw it was Jane, shaking me awake with a finger pressed to her lips. When I sat up, I saw why.

Tony and Pepper had apparently stayed with me through the night, and both were sleeping in the chairs near my bed. Pepper's head was on Tony's shoulder, her feet tucked up onto the chair. Tony, on the other hand, had kicked up his feet onto the end of my bed and his head was tilted back, nose towards the ceiling, and he was snoring like a freight train.

I suppressed a giggle for a second until I saw how exhausted they looked. I knew Tony had PTSD nightmares too, but what kept Pepper up at night?

Worrying about my and Tony's craziness, probably.

After Jane checked me out and pronounced me perfectly healthy, I grabbed Nova and raced to my room to shower and change into clean clothes before heading downstairs to my lab. I left my dad and Pepper behind, still sleeping. They looked like they needed it.

I wanted to talk to Nova in private. And weirdly, I wanted to ask Peter how he was doing. It was Thanksgiving today, after all. And me spazzing out yesterday definitely hadn't helped his mood.

When I got to the lab, I paused and walked over to the window-wall. The sun rising or setting over the New York Skyline still astonished me, even though I'd been living here for months. The sun had barely begun to rise; I ran over the last twenty four hours in my and I contemplated my options as I gazed out onto it.

"There's no way that I'm going to pass Garner's evaluation," I told Nova, flipping her matrix on. "Not after this. I would be considered too risky… if I have a flashback in the middle of a battle, I could kill someone."

"That's the point of battles, Holly, whether you like it or not," Nova told me gently.

I knew she was right. "Yeah. But Nova? It might not be an enemy."

"Your bangles…"

I closed my eyes and ran my hand over my face. "If they're off during a battle, they're off. It's not like I can switch 'em on or off- there's no power button. You or Dad have to do it."

"Holly, what if_"

"I won't be able to fight," I interrupted. "No," I said emphatically. "I _shouldn't_ fight. Shouldn't walk into a battle _."_ I rested my forehead on the window. It was so unfair. I was training hard, I had my mutation, I had a shot to do more than just make technology to protect people.

"Director Fury is calling you," Nova said suddenly. I wheeled around. "Do I let him through?"

I hesitated, but not for long. He undoubtedly knew about my flashback yesterday. I couldn't avoid Patchy forever. "Let him through," I sighed, throwing myself onto my chair and kicking my high-tops onto the table. Normally I'd never treat my lab like that, but I wanted to look calm and casual.

"Director Fury, sir," I addressed him respectfully when his face showed on my monitor. No need to make this any worse than it already was by being rude. But then I noticed- he didn't look mad, he looked like he was forcing himself to be calm.

"Holly," he said, nodding. I immediately was on edge. If he wasn't going to yell, what was wrong? Had something happened to Jemma or Fitz?

"What do you need, sir?"

"Is your dad around?" He asked suddenly.

Oh. I was a messenger. Was there a mission? "No. Do you want him to go get him? Or the other Avengers?"

"No." He scrutinized me.

I had already started to get up, but sat back down and stared at him. "Okay, this is weird. For some reason, the 'Stranger Danger' lesson from kindergarten in Tempe just came to me. What gives?" I demanded. For that matter, how did I know this was actually Fury? This could be some random Hydra guy in a nanomask.

"Give it a rest. I needed to talk to you about the plans you submitted to me. And a… a problem with the police report from a busted child trafficking ring in Hell's Kitchen. And your test results."

I tried my best to keep a poker face, even as my heart began hammering. Did he know about Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage? I decided to ask about my plans for the combat spaceships first. "What about my plans? The ships are too expensive and not plausible, I know. But with the list of materials you gave me and the requirements to withstand a planet's gravity and the maneuverability, well, I had shit-all to work with." That was true for the most part. War in space was not an option for humanity, not now. Not with countries at war with each other and the war between Hydra and SHIELD still fizzling.

Fury nodded. "I know. You did well, given the limited resources. Look over them. Double check them for any mistakes."

"I already did before I gave them to you."

"Then triple check them! They need to be perfect."

He was visibly irritated, and a creeping suspicion trickled into my mind. "You're not- Fury, you're not actually thinking of _making_ them, are you? What for?"

The second question was a dumb one, I knew. What else would you need combat spaceships for but war in space?

"Stark, you're not at the compound to play around. We already have ships prepared to defend the Earth- how could we not, after the Chitauri invaded New York?" Fury was giving me the look, the one that said he was seriously considering if my IQ was misreported.

"So there's something to prepare for?" I asked, my mind racing. War in space? The Avengers weren't equipped for space and, as far as I knew, they had no plans to prepare for war in space. But war in space- the technology that we had (that I knew about, of course) couldn't get us to any other planets that contained life. And if we couldn't get to the surface of an alien planet, then we couldn't invade. If we were meeting an alien planet's fleet, then the Avengers wouldn't be necessary. They weren't pilots. So that meant that we were just preparing for a possible invasion.

But that wouldn't make sense. Thinking back to the books on strategy that Fury himself had given me, there was no point at all in defending the Earth from space. The Earth would have to be protected on all sides, and doing that was completely impractical- it was too big.

I suddenly found myself on my feet, staring at the screen in disbelief. "We don't have the resources to protect ourselves from an invasion! And as far as defending the Earth goes_"

"Don't be stupid, Stark," Fury snapped at me before I could continue my rant that trying to defend the Earth- basically a cube formation- would be completely pointless, if not impossible. We would drain all of our resources making ships to defend the Earth, when in reality, even a single alien ship slipping through our guard would cause mass devastation and loss of human life.

Suddenly, Tony making Ultron was a brilliant idea, even though it had failed.

Fury and I stared at each other, and I could tell that I had unnerved him. "Where'd you get the idea that we'd actually make _yours_?" he snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're a kid. We have engineers with more degrees than years you've been alive. They were a theoretical exercise for you."

I flushed then, knowing that he was right. Why would he ask me? And for that matter, if there was some Chitauri level space threat, we'd know.

But why make ships if there was nothing coming for us?

I decided to humor him. For now. "Okay. So, my test results?"

He was quiet, as if he was debating how much to tell me. Again. I was sick of being kept in the dark about myself.

"Let's talk about the friends you made in Hell's Kitchen first."

I sat back down. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Fury rolled his eyes. "Tell Natasha to teach you to lie. If she already is, tell her she's not doing a good job. So- you met Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Do they know who you are?"

I contemplated for a second, then shrugged. Worst comes to worst, I get grounded or get moved to the compound. The only bummer about being moved to the compound is that I wouldn't get to work with Peter on the cloaking device anymore. And I'd miss Pepper…

"Yeah, they know. I'm not exactly a nobody. I have a contact for one of them. They told me to call them if I ever needed help." Not strictly true, but I could contact Jessica through Alias Investigations.

"Good." Fury appraised me. "And you know Spider-Man, too, based on the report about the rogue Inhuman. Good…"

"Good?"

But Fury was already moving on. "Now- your test results. You're a little young for the prep academy still, Stark, but you tested high enough that you shouldn't struggle too much. Physically."

"Dr. Garner's evaluation," I stated, knowing this was where he was getting to. I failed the psych eval. Or at least, he thought I would.

"Your father wasn't physically fit for the Avengers Initiative," Fury retorted, his face serious. "Walking time bomb. Shrapnel in his heart, only thing that kept him alive- and in the fight- was a miniaturized Arc Reactor."

"But he got that removed before I even met him," I said, confused why he was telling me something I already knew. "Now it's just in the suit."

Fury leveled me with a one-eyed stare. "Exactly. Happy Thanksgiving."

The screen changed from his face to the Avengers 'A'. He'd hung up. I crossed my arms and frowned in the direction of Nova's matrix. "Why is he always so cryptic?" I complained. "Clearly, he had some point of being all serious and telling me that last bit. And with it being good that I knew the Defenders? Come on," I snapped, frustrated at myself, willing the neurons in my brain to fire faster so I could think. I knew he was getting at something, but what?

At least I'd already deduced that my theory of war in space was stupid.

A pang in my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten in nearly a day. It also reminded me about why, and I felt the shame about my flashback and panic attack come back. "At least Fury didn't know about yesterday," I told Nova.

"Holly… I think he did. I think that's what he may have been getting at," she said gently. "See… Tony wasn't physically fit. You aren't mentally fit. Yesterday put the final nail in the coffin to prove that."

"I _know_!" I strode over to the window again. "It's not like I can put an Arc Reactor in my brain," I said, still irritated.

"I know," Nova said simply. "I'm sorry. For your sake… I wish you could. Mental wounds don't have an easy fix."

I sighed, thinking about the complexity of what was known- and unknown- about the human brain and psyche. And then I remembered all of the neuroscience and psychology books that Fury had 'gifted' me…

That little shit.

"Maybe I can't just stick an Arc Reactor in my brain," I said slowly and with trepidation. "But… I bet you that I could stick a device in to release medicine to stop a panic attack. With a trusted AI to control it, of course."

Nova didn't say anything for a minute, and I was worried she would shoot me down, and say that was impossible.

"We'd better get to work," she said finally.

When Friday called me and told me that Tony and Pepper were awake, I stumbled up from the workshop, feeling guilty, feeling hopeful. We had barely drafted anything, having it been less than an hour since Fury had first called, but I had left Nova to run simulations. If Nova could prevent the panic attacks and flashbacks, it'd be a game changer.

Clint and Natasha started when the elevator whooshed open to the communal kitchen and living room area, as if they had been too engrossed in their conversation to hear the elevator coming. They were sitting at the breakfast bar, drinking coffee.

"Holly! You're feeling better?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah," I answered truthfully. "I'm sorry about… you know."

"You have nothing to apologize for," she stated adamantly.

"Hey, kid!" Clint said quickly. I noticed that his eyes were red- like he'd been crying. Of course, I realized guiltily. Thanksgiving, you were supposed to be with family. And sure, we were part of his family- but his wife, his kids- he wanted to be with them. But he and Laura were fighting...

I walked up to them and hugged them both, Clint first. "Happy Thanksgiving," I told them, not knowing what else to say, not knowing how to tell them how much they both meant to me. Thankfully, Bruce and Steve walked off the elevator, carrying boxes of donuts. I'm not just talking one box- I'm talking four boxes.

"Forty eight donuts?" Natasha asked them, cocking one of her eyebrows. "Well, I guess Thor does eat a box himself."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too," Steve grinned, practically skipping. "I used to get donuts from this place before I became a Capsicle. Bucky used to practically buy them out on Thanksgiving."

I laughed at Steve calling himself a Capsicle, and then blurted out, "Bucky- your friend from the Howling Commandos?"

A bit of the joy left his face for a second, and I cursed myself for being able to feel so comfortable around these guys that I could just ask whatever was on my mind. "Yep," he said, forcing his smile back.

Bruce set the donuts down on the counter and walked into the kitchen. "Anyone want a warm up on their coffee before we watch the parade?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Twenty minutes later, after Pepper had demanded I wear a thick down jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scarf, I was up on the roof with all of the Avengers, Sam, and Rhodey. The parade had already started, and to be honest, despite that it was cool to watch, I was twitchy. I'd rather be in my workshop. Looking at my dad, who was sitting between Pepper and I, I could tell from his bored expression that he felt the same way.

"What do you think, kid?" Steve asked me, holding open the donut box for me. I declined- two chocolate sprinkled covered donuts was enough, and watching Thor shovel his down wasn't helping my appetite.

"It's cool!" I nodded emphatically, sounding way more enthusiastic that I felt. Sure, it was something that I hadn't seen before, and I liked spending time doing anything with the Avengers, but sitting there doing nothing but watching was boring. From a few people down, Natasha snorted, and I remembered Fury's comment about her needing to teach me to lie better. Tony chuckled a bit, too, but Steve's enthusiasm wasn't deterred.

"I knew you'd love it," he said, clapping me on the back. "It's amazing. Wish this was around in the forties."

Suddenly, all of the Avengers faces darkened as the next set of balloons came around the corner.

It was them, all of them. Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Vision, and Scarlet Witch. The Avengers.

"Let's go back inside," Steve growled, his jaw tight.

Silently we went back downstairs, and I was kind of confused.

"They shouldn't have done that," Pepper murmured. "Not with Sokovia…"

It hit me like a train. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was televised. We looked like jerks to the other countries. Sokovia was in pieces, but they celebrated the Avengers.

Not me, though. Wonder if it was because I was a minor or something.

After we all got inside, Pepper requested my, Steve, Natasha, and Clint's help in the kitchen. Thor and Tony weren't even allowed on the communal kitchen/living room while the five of us were working.

There was something about cooking a Thanksgiving dinner that was calming. Not sure if it was because this Thanksgiving I would actually be eating or because I was with people who cared about me this year. It was also fun; Natasha thought it was hilarious when Pepper wouldn't let me use the knives. We had practiced throwing them the other day during training. So I couldn't use a knife to slice sweet potatoes, but I could throw it at a moving target from twenty yards away and at least hit the outside edge.

While we were cooking, Steve told us how Thanksgiving was 'back in his day'. I could tell he missed it, Thanksgiving with Bucky in a simpler time, but I couldn't resist calling him "Grandpa Spangles" before throwing one of the marshmallows that I was supposed to be putting on the sweet potatoes at him. After that, Pepper playfully scolded me before kicking me out of the kitchen and I wandered around to find the other Avengers.

With Friday's help, I found Tony, Bruce, and Thor on one of the less commonly used living room floors. This one had a bar and a pool table. They were sitting at the bar, drinking what looked like orange juice out of fancy glasses, but when I saw the green bottle next to the orange juice carton, I knew there was some type of alcohol in it. When Tony spotted me, he gestured me over and started pouring orange juice in another one of the fancy glasses. Before I could protest, he handed me the glass. "It's just OJ, kid," he assured me. "Bruce and I have champagne in ours, Thor has some Asgardian spirits in it. Mimosas." I could tell by the inquisitive look he gave me he was wondering if I was okay with it. He always did that after I'd freaked out in Malibu. To answer, I smiled and sat at the bar with them. Tony nodded in satisfaction and kicked his heels up onto the bar countertop. I drank my orange juice while they talked, but it was mostly football. Soon, I got bored, and decided to go find Wanda.

Instead of cheating using Friday this time, I aimlessly wandered. Not on her floor (or at least she didn't answer the knock). Not in the gym or on another one of the living room floors. Not in the library. On a whim, I even knocked on the Vision's door. No answer. Finally, I wondered if she decided to go back up and watch the parade, and I stepped off the elevator to one of the strangest sights I'd ever witnessed, and _that_ was saying something.

I'd found Wanda, and she was with the Vision. They were kissing.

Of course they broke apart when they heard the elevator door open, and I knew I was beet red. "Sorry, sorry!" I yelled, stumbling back into the elevator and falling on my ass. I bounded up, jamming the close door button and random floor buttons repeatedly. I swear it was taking ten times normal than usual, and Vision had sunk through the rooftop while Wanda was breathless, and probably more red than I was. This was so awkward!

"Friday! Close the damn doors!" I screamed, and the doors finally shut.

I leaned back against the wall. Suddenly, the Vision catching Wanda instead of me in the Battle of Sokovia took on a complete different meaning. How long had they been swapping spit?

After riding the elevator for about ten minutes to the different floors I'd pressed, I finally decided to go to my workshop for some sanity. Nova was probably done running the simulations, since it was past noon.

When I got into my workshop, I had two missed messages on my phone that someone (Tony, probably) had put on my work bench. One was from Peter, wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving and that he was thankful to have me as a friend. I paused, then texted him back a quick 'you too!' It was courteous, and it was true.

The other message was a video message, and I smiled broadly when I saw it was from my two favorite non-Avenger scientists, Jemma and Fitz. They rambled a bit about how they hoped I knew the true story behind the Pilgrims and Indians and although they didn't celebrate it, being English and Scottish, they hoped I had a great day with my family. They ended the call by saying that they would send some plans to me soon and they'd love my advice on them, and if I had anything I'd like them to look over, feel free to send it to them.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. For the first time, I understood Thanksgiving. For the first time, I had people to feel thankful for.

A half hour later, Pepper came and got me from the workshop, telling me I wasn't allowed to work on a holiday. I obediently cleaned up and went upstairs with her, where everyone but Wanda and Vision were assembled and playing my GameCube or Texas Hold 'Em.

I jumped into a Mario Party game, teaming up with Natasha. Mostly because I did _not_ want to be on the opposite side of someone who was totally a sore loser.

Wanda and Vision eventually showed up, both of them looking uncomfortable when they saw me. I just smiled and shook my head a bit. I wasn't going to tell anyone else about them. Even though they totally weirded me out. Not because one was human and the other AI- I just hadn't even guessed they were interested in each other that way, and I still didn't really understand why adults did that stuff. Sure, Tony and Pepper were happy together, but watching my mother and stepfather, I knew I'd rather be alone.

Around three, we had what the adults called hors d'oeuvres, but to me they just looked like finger foods. Halfway through, Clint's phone started ringing, and he jumped to answer it like it was his lifeline. Before we left the room, he flipped it open.

"Hello?"

Immediately, Clint's face went from scared, to sad, to angry as he listened to whoever was talking. He walked over to the elevator and didn't speak, facing the wall so we couldn't see his expression anymore. His head was bowed, shoulders slumped.

"Is there a mission?" I asked, heart pounding, hands twitching- not with nerves but because they were spasming. Pepper, next to me, noticed and put her hands over mine. "It was his wife," she murmured to me.

My eyes grew wide and I squirmed as I processed what I was hearing. So Clint and his wife _were_ having problems.

"Holly," Tony said quickly. "Do you want to get _The Lighting Thief_? I think these guys would like it. You go get the book, and Pepper and I can fill them in on the first few chapters."

I knew they were just changing the subject. But I did it anyway, because they acted interested. Not because I was actually really excited for us to read _The Lightning Thief_ like I was for them to read me _Life of Pi_. Nope.

Clint didn't come back, not even when it was time for dinner. Natasha went to go find him, and then Friday sounded while we were waiting, telling us that Natasha said to go on without the two of them.

So dinner, although it tasted amazing, was pretty subdued. I just concentrated on eating. I was starving.

"You eat like you won't see food again, kid," Wanda told me with a laugh, obviously trying to lighten the mood. I knew she was joking, not making fun of me, but I couldn't help but firmly put down my knife and fork. I knew my table manners were terrible- either I picked at food or I wolfed it down. Wolfing it down was something that was habit from Tempe. Because Wanda had a point- I did eat like I wouldn't see food again. Because in Tempe, if I didn't do an odd job in trade or steal it from a convenience store, I wouldn't.

Dinner and drinks seemed to make all of the adults pretty tired. I offered to clean up, and declined any help past Pepper putting the leftovers in tupperware containers for me. Near the end of the chore, I felt my phone start to buzz in my pocket. I hastily wiped my hands on my pants and fumbled to grab it. The only people that had my number were Deadpool and Peter.

I relaxed when I saw that it was Peter calling me, and answered quickly. "Hello?"

"Hey," Peter said, sounding depressed. "You feeling better?"

It took me a minute to remember what he was talking about. Between Fury's talk, Clint and Laura fighting, and Vision and Wanda, I had almost forgotten about yesterday. "Lots," I answered. And it was true. Now that I had a plan to move forward and stop the panic attacks, I felt almost confident. I checked to make sure that I was alone on the floor before hopping up to sit on the counter. "Are you doing okay?"

There was a long pause. "Well… no," He finally admitted. "My aunt had to work, so… I've been alone all day. She felt bad about it, but I told her to go ahead. She'll be home pretty late."

I thought about asking what his aunt did, but decided that he might have already told me, and I wasn't listening. Then I had an idea.

"Can you meet me on the roof of Stark Tower in twenty minutes, Spider-Man?"

* * *

I should have given myself an hour. There was a force field around the roof of Stark Tower to prevent anyone from just landing on the roof. Friday told me that Tony and the rest of the Avengers were drinking with Clint, so I hoped that everyone was too busy making sure that he was okay to see what I was up to. Which was hastily throwing leftovers into a container and making sure they were hot while begging Nova to disable the damn force field, block Friday's view of the roof, and set up a warning if anyone was coming up to check on me (or in Wanda and the Vision's case, make out).

Luckily, Peter called me to tell me he was running about fifteen minutes late because he was stopping a mugging, so I was on the edge of the roof opposite the glowing Avengers 'A', feet dangling, force field disabled, when Spider-Man showed up.

"Dude, I really need to make you a new suit," I said as he took off his mask. I handed him the water bottle and the tupperware container of food.

He ignored the comment about the suit as he tucked his mask into a pocket. I noticed that his eyes sort of looked misty. "Holly… thank you," he said sincerely, taking the leftovers. "Thank you."

I sat there silent while he ate, but it was nice. Weird- The Iron Omega and Spider-Man hanging out on a rooftop on Thanksgiving, but hey, 'Merica.

"Did you have a good day?" Peter asked when he was finished. We'd moved from the ledge to the floor, leaning against the barrier surrounding the roof.

"Not bad," I answered. "Clint's fighting with his wife, so he's here instead of with them, and I walked in on Wanda and the Vision kissing up here a few hours ago, which was _really_ weird."

"Yeah, I bet," Peter said, laughing. He set the tupperware down. "That sucks about Clint though. I hope they work it out."

I shrugged. I couldn't say if they would or not. I didn't like to think about it.

"Holly, Tony's coming!"

Peter and I exchanged panicked looks, and he jumped off the rooftop while I grabbed the tupperware and pretended like I'd been eating. I heard the slight buzz that meant that the force field was enabled again. Bless Nova's heart.

Tony stepped out of the elevator not even five seconds after the force field was activated.

"Hey, kid, what're you doing up here alone?" he asked, coming over.

"Wanted some quiet," I said, standing up. "Sorry."

Tony sat where I'd been on the roof waiting for Spider-Man to show up, legs dangling over the edge. "I don't blame you. Although I have to say, even though Clint and his wife are fighting… this is the best holiday I've ever had."

I sat down next to him, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Me, too."

"You're a great kid, you know," Tony told me. "I don't tell you that enough. I need to." I could tell that he was a little tipsy. But he wasn't smashed. Not like he probably was last year. He _had_ changed.

And so have I, I realized as I stared at the skyline of New York City. I was somebody now. Somebody with a family and friends that cared about me. It wasn't like last year, when I was locked outside,starving, freezing my butt off, and couldn't think of a single thing to be thankful for.

"And you're a great Dad."

He looked at me, and I swear, the Invincible Iron Man had tears in his eyes.


	48. Caught

I ended the video call with Dr. Garner, feeling completely calm and disconnected from anything I'd just spilled to him. Which was pretty much everything that had happened over Thanksgiving week, from my near-drowning, Thanksgiving Day, and my official withdrawal from Midtown High.

 **Congrats, Holly,** Nova's voice came through the sound system of my lab. **Your vitals remained clear, no signs of an attack. This dosage is the correct one.**

I let out a sigh of relief. The past few days I had been working almost constantly in my lab, researching and building and trying to figure out what dose of which medication I'd need to keep myself from panicking while talking about the tough stuff. After extensive research into medications and reactions, I had decided to use a benzodiazepine. I just hadn't been sure until today which one I would be relying on.

The tests were simple, but tricky to hide from the Avengers. Nova asked me common questions that I'd be asked during a psych eval after I'd dosed myself up. Too small of a dose and I'd start to have a panic attack. To large of a dose and I would get extremely sleepy and start giggling about the HYDRA facility I'd been kept in, which was the other side of the crazy spectrum.

I hadn't even known that I would have a therapy appointment today, although I shouldn't have been surprised. Dr. Garner had undoubtedly been spending Thanksgiving with his family or friends, and Monday afternoon was probably the soonest that Tony and Pepper could get him after my stupid flashback.

When the call started to go through, I had jumped through the roof, scrambling to hide the holograms of brains and possible models for the device before running toward my lab's mini fridge, where I was hiding the vials of benzodiazepine types behind cans of Sprite, Tony's least favorite soft drink. Not that Tony usually went into the fridge in my lab, but it'd be pretty stupid to get caught because I'd left stuff lying around in the open.

With Nova telling me to stop and wait until we had more data before shooting myself up with something and talking to Garner, I hesitated before impulsively picking one with my most educated guess; lorazepam. It wasn't recommended for children under the age of eighteen, but I quickly uncapped a syringe, mentally cut the dose in half for a ninety-pound adult, and after getting the correct amount from the vial, shot it into my deltoid. Then I had answered the call, and with the fast acting drug seeping through my bloodstream, was able to act normally.

I was so freaking lucky that it had worked. And now, I knew which benzodiazepine to use.

"About time we had some success," I grumbled. I should feel victorious. So why'd I feel guilty?

 **You know this is just putting a bandaid on a bullet hole,** Nova pointed out for probably the seventieth time since Fury had called Thanksgiving Day.

Yep. That was why.

I knew what I was doing- tricking everyone into thinking I was fine so I could get into a preparatory SHIELD Academy- was wrong. Yet every time I debated it, I came to the same conclusion- I had to be ready for whatever was coming next. First the Chitauri Invasion, and then a mere year later, Ultron had happened? Whatever came next, I wanted to be prepared.

And something told me that something would come soon. There was just too much evidence pointing that way. The Avengers were constantly in and out of the Tower, looking stressed. They usually stopped talking when I came into the room. And Fury giving me that call on Thanksgiving, quizzing me up about the combat spaceships I had drafted schematics for?

Something was up. It had to be. Or something was coming.

And as I sat in my lab, a vial of the successful medication in my hand, I knew that I had two choices.

One, I could stay in the tower and recover the long way, the hard way. Safe, but essentially just waiting for the fight to come to me, and whatever training I had- which depended on if Tony ever gave me a suit again, and what Natasha and Steve taught me in the limited time we had, when they were available to teach me.

Or I could play a bigger part, a bigger role, than just another family member the Avengers were trying to keep safe. I could help, not be a liability. It just involved a very dangerous short term fix that, according to my and Nova's research, hadn't been done before; a device that was almost like a patch, with a quarter inch long needle, stuck deep into my lateral thigh (specifically the vastus lateralis) each morning, with Nova in my skull in a cochlear implant-like device, linked and ready to release the meds at the first sign of a debilitating panic attack or flashback. Being a liability, or having a dangerous short-term fix?

It really wasn't a question.

* * *

December in New York was brutal, but Avengers Tower was practically bursting with Christmas cheer. We'd spent the entire first day of December– all of us – decorating, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot chocolate (in my case) or eggnog (the adults), and just enjoying each other's company.

Despite dropping out of Midtown High, I still talked to Peter nearly every day. The cover was supposedly that my military father had been relocated, and I had moved, but because Peter knew the truth anyway, I didn't even bother to tell him that lie. I did, however, humor the Avengers and make any audio calls be untraceable. It was probably a good habit to get into, anyway. My hair was its natural black again instead of blonde, so the Avengers had told me not to do video calls, but I still saw Peter once or twice a week when he would swing by the rooftop. Usually I'd try to convince him on these nights to let me build him a damn super suit, because wearing spandex and fighting crime in the winter of New York was hyperthermia-inducing, but he always refused. I couldn't blame him; I preferred building things with my own hands as well.

I was expecting this time of year to be harder. My mom had died nearly a year ago, two days before Christmas, and it was something that I was trying to avoid thinking about at all costs. Amazingly, between building the device, talking to Peter, and spending time with Tony and Pepper, I was too busy to dwell on it. Usually it only came back full force at night, when I was trying to shut my brain off and sleep.

But despite that, I hadn't been having as many nightmares, although when I did, the panic still came back in full force. But now, knowing that I could push a miniscule dosage of lorazepam before the therapy sessions to keep the panic at bay, I was more than willing to appease Tony and Pepper and talk to Dr. Garner about the nightmare. It made me feel guilty, like I was lying to Pepper and my dad, but Tony and Pepper seemed less stressed out, happier, thinking that therapy was finally helping. And it couldn't be a bad thing what I was doing, if it was helping them.

The knowledge of my device was as reassuring as carrying around Nova's chip, and I felt a cocky confidence that I hadn't since before I had been kidnapped by HYDRA rise to the surface again. HYDRA hadn't broken me, just like Ten Rings hadn't broken my dad. We were Starks. We could do anything.

The device was complete, built and everything, and now I just needed some way to insert it into my brain. Something told me that even though Peter and I still talked and worked on our cloaking device every day, he would not be a willing accomplice to inserting an experimental device into my brain. And to be honest, although I trusted him not to blow my identity, there was no way I was going to trust him something that could damage my brain.

I had drafted schematics for precision bots, controlled by Nova, but both of us were skeptical. There just wasn't a plausible way to insert it. The device was ready to go, but I was stuck.

Nova tried to tell me that it didn't matter if we ever inserted it; that as long as I passed the psych evaluation, I would be in SHIELD prep, and I didn't need the device to stay there. I could tell that she was liking the idea less and less, but even she couldn't deny that while being able to inject myself with lorazepam before potentially panicking was effective, there was no way that I would be able to do it while in the throws of a panic attack or flashback.

A week before Christmas, everyone was back at Stark Tower, and I was sprawled out on the communal living room floor, watching _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation_ with everyone besides Bruce and Thor. Bruce had been staying shut up in the lab more and more. I know Tony was worried about him, even though of course he didn't say it directly. I wasn't sure where Thor was- I think Asgard. At least, this morning Tony had made a snarky remark about the roof never recovering from Thor's takeoffs.

Right now, everything seemed fine. Everyone- even Clint, who'd been moping around understandably since Thanksgiving- was laughing at the movie.

"The squirrel being in the Christmas tree is the best part," Tony chuckled. "Real talk, if one got into ours —" he gestured at the twelve-foot-tall tree in the corner of the room— "What would you do?"

The answered ranged from reasonable- 'shoot it with a stun arrow/gun', 'freeze it into place', and 'hit it gently with Mjolnir' — to completely ludicrous.

"Burn down the tower."

"Plug your ears when Clint screams like a little girl."

At this point, I was almost crying from laughing so hard.

"I would —"

The elevator opened, and I broke off. Bruce stormed out, his eyes flashing green, looking straight at me.

I did what any sane person would do in this situation; in an instant I was up and moving, and my back was against the glass wall. Oh, shit. There was only one reason that Bruce would be looking at me like that.

He'd finally taken inventory of his medicine stock.

"Take it easy," Tony said firmly, but you could hear the worried undertone. What the heck was making Bruce like this? Were there intruders in the Tower?

"I'm good, I'm good," Bruce snapped, still staring at me. "But you might want to talk to your daughter about the latest schematics she's been working on. I'd love to hear an explanation about why some of my vials of benzodiazepines are missing."

Blood drained from my face. "I, um…"

"You've been using them when talking to Dr. Garner," Bruce said, making it a statement, not a question. "That's why he's been able to tell your father you've been doing so well. But that doesn't explain why there's multiple types missing. I have a guess. But I'm going to give you a chance to come clean before I suggest to your dad that he and I go downstairs and search every kilobyte of your server." His voice was forcibly calm, and somehow, it was worse than if he would have shouted.

"Bruce, what are you talking about?" Tony asked, first turning his body toward me, then his head, and finally, looking into my eyes. The way I had seen him do right before he was about to snap at Fury. He had _never_ looked at me that way before. "Holly?"

In response to his glare, I turned around, looking at the New York cityscape instead.

"Holly," Tony said again, his voice terse. "What…?"

I dug Nova's chip out of my pocket and gripped it tight, still looking out the window. I didn't answer.

"Explain." Tony's tone was clipped, and I felt my shoulders hunch, my hands curl into fists. I'd been made. _Of course_ I had. I lived with ultra-paranoid spies and scientists!

I clutched Nova's chip even tighter. On it was my entire server, including the file that I had tried to carefully to hide from FRIDAY. I had thought that if I hid the schematics for the device from FRIDAY, I would be safe. Tony didn't take inventory very carefully, and I had assumed that Bruce was the same way. Stupid. I should have known better. Just because there was a surplus of the benzodiazepines didn't mean that he wouldn't know exactly how many of each that he had.

" _Holly Maria Stark_ –"

I turned around abruptly, thrust the chip out at him, and cut him off. "Here. It's all on there." I lifted my chin, matching his stubborn expression, but didn't look directly at him.

Tony took the chip, and I felt his gaze burning my face. His voice was sharper than steel as he said, "Pepper. Get Holly out of here. Just… anywhere. While I check this out." He turned on his heel and stalked toward the elevator, Bruce and Steve following close behind.

My eyes flashed to Pepper, worried about her reaction. I had been so focused on Tony, I had forgotten that Pepper was really the force to be reckoned with when it came to reckless misconduct.

But she didn't look angry, mostly confused. I didn't move, glaring down at the carpet, hands clenched into fists.

I had been so close. So close to being able to act normal.

In my peripheral vision, I registered a hand coming toward my face and flinched, throwing up my arms to protect my head before I could think. After a few seconds I got a grip, shoved my hands in my pockets, and looked up from the carpet. Pepper was there, to my right, her outstretched hand just inches from my shoulder.

"What were you just thinking about?" she asked, her voice gentle, expression relaxed.

For the first time, I realized that we were alone in the living room. I hadn't realized that anyone else had left, and I flushed, shrugging. I'd zoned out. I didn't say anything.

Pepper frowned when she realized I wasn't going to say anything. "Come on, Holly, we're going for a drive." She slowly put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it, just enough so I felt it, and steered me to the elevator

Pepper guided me to one of the black Audis with a generic license plate - one that was meant for trying to be inconspicuous. I was ashamed my shoulders were trembling. What was Tony going to think when he found it, and realized that what Bruce had said was true? That every time I had talked to Dr. Garner over the last few weeks was under the influence of a drug to keep me from panicking? Would he think I was weak? What if he was disappointed that after almost four months, I still wasn't normal?

I couldn't help but note that Pepper hesitated for a second by the door to the backseat before opening the door to the front passenger side. Usually, she had me sit in the back, so this was new.

I slid in and she shut the door, just firm enough so it was fully closed. I buckled up as she walked around to the drivers side and started the car. Pepper drove out of the garage and into the congested New York traffic, not saying anything, but turning on the heat, playing with the radio.

I looked out the window, not actually seeing the buildings flash by. God, I had screwed up. I wouldn't be admitted into the academy now, there was no way. The Avengers were already livid. FitzSimmons would be appalled that I wasn't admitted, with my brain. And if they found out what I did…

As guilt and shame exploded in the pit of my stomach, I shuddered. I hadn't realized that by being a part of a family, by having friends, I was opening myself up to a whole different type of pain. Why the hell did anyone put up with it?

Light pressure on my left hand, which was clenched on my kneecap, grounded me. My eyes flicked to Pepper, who currently had her eyes on the road. It was only then when I realized that we had to have been driving for a while – we weren't in Manhattan anymore, there weren't nearly as many city lights, and it was a lot quieter; besides the radio playing quietly in the background, I couldn't hear anything else, and there were way more trees, buildings spaced much farther apart than in the city.

"You want to tell me what Bruce was talking about?" she asked, her voice even, her eyes never leaving the road.

I clenched my fists, but sighed. Pepper didn't say anything else, instead just kept resting her hand softly on top of my clenched fist. "I just wanted to be normal," I blurted out. I kept looking at her, trying to gauge what she was thinking but her face was smooth. "I knew that I wouldn't pass the psych eval if I didn't do it."

Pepper took a right. "Do what?"

"What Bruce said," I mumbled, tearing my eyes away from her face and looking out the window again. "I was giving myself lorazepam to make myself calm before talking to Dr. Garner. It makes it easier to tell him stuff, and I could talk about Tempe and HYDRA." Something that Bruce had added suddenly registered, and the guilt I felt from lying by omission and from sneaking around tripled. I turned back to Pepper. "Did he really tell you and Tony I was doing better?"

Pepper nodded, still not looking at me. "What's on Nova's chip, Holly?"

I sighed again. She'd know anyway, as soon as we got back. Now that I wasn't so shocked about being found out, I knew that by not fessing up, I would just make things worse for myself.

I started rambling off the story at a million miles an hour, blurting out everything about my device, staring only at the dashboard. After eleven minutes, I finally shut up, tore my eyes from the glowing display, and looked at Pepper again, expecting to her angry, disgusted.

Instead, she looked exasperated, half smiling. Her hand was still on mine, and I was surprised that it had relaxed as I had talked. "Holly," she said as she merged onto the expressway, "I can't pretend that I understand everything that you just told me, because I don't speak genius, but I get the gist. You are so much like your father, it is unreal."

I hadn't expected that. "You're… not mad?"

She snorted, and her voice was suddenly hard. "Absolutely, I'm mad. I'm furious. If you were your father, I'd be shouting." She squeezed my hand before saying, "Doesn't mean that I don't love him, or you. But Holly?" She looked at me then, her face still exasperated. "You understand there is no way that you're going to the SHIELD academy any time soon now, right?"

I nodded, feeling my eyes start to burn. "I'm sorry. I know you and dad need me to go. I know I'm getting in the way."

Suddenly, she pulled over onto the side of the expressway and parked, turning down the radio so it was almost inaudible. I tensed, but before I could flinch, she told me in a firm voice, "Do not let me – or your father – hear you say that again. Because our answer has not changed and will not change. You are not a burden, you do not get in the way. If you went to that school, we would not be sending you there to get you out of the way. Okay?"

I was still reeling from the abrupt stop of the car, so it took me a few seconds to answer. Nodding, I quietly said, "Okay."

She merged back onto the expressway and turned up the radio, which was halfway through some country song. A glance at the screen told me it was by Rascal Flatts, and the song was 'My Wish'. She smiled softly at me. "I love this song."

I tried to focus on the lyrics then, so I could agree or disagree and maybe Pepper and I could have a normal conversation. But it was hard, and I couldn't help but ask quietly, "Do you think that Tony is going to be mad? I need to apologize to him when I get back."

Pepper grimaced. "I think you should wait to talk to him until tomorrow, Holly. It's pretty late –you need to get to bed. Let's just say that you are definitely grounded. And when I say grounded, I mean you're at least not getting unsupervised time in your workshop until you're at least eighteen."

I heard what she didn't say. Tony wouldn't want to talk to me. "That mad, huh?"

She sighed. "You both need the night to just think things over, okay? Just trust me. We'll get back, you go to bed, and then first thing in the morning you two can talk it out."

* * *

Tony had all but shouted at Bruce to get him to leave his workshop once he and Bruce had deciphered the schematics. Bruce, knowing that Tony was about to freak, had finally left, saying that he was going to go call Dr. Garner, that he should be aware of Holly´s latest shenanigan. A shenanigan that was actually a felony, taking Class A substances without a prescription.

Tony was… appalled. Disgusted. Ashamed. Furious. But not about Holly´s actions.

How could he not have known this, why would she not have told him how bad it was?

"Stop beating yourself up."

Tony turned, his eyes closed, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did she tell you? What she was planning on doing?" he asked Pepper.

"Yes, but I only understood half of it. It's like when you or Bruce get going."

Tony chuckled without humor. "I should have never given her a workshop, should have never –" he broke off. ¨I thought she trusted me. Why didn't she tell _me_?"

"Tony, stop," Pepper said, placing both of her hands firmly on his shoulders. He looked at her, his eyes dull. "Do you remember when your Arc Reactor still had a palladium core? You were _dying,_ and you didn't tell anyone."

Tony quirked an eyebrow at her. "You're comparing —"

"Someone notify the psychologists of the world, idiotic stubbornness is genetic."

Tony ran both hands through his hair and started pacing again. "She can't turn out like me. If Bruce wouldn't have taken inventory, then she would have gone through and tried to perform brain surgery on _herself_! It's risky, stupid, dangerous – and exactly what I would do."

"Well then, what are we going to do about it?" Pepper asked, watching him pace.

The word ´we´ stopped him in his tracks. He turned toward her, feeling the relief that always came when he was reminded how completely in his corner she was. "I'll... I-I... I don't know…" The billionaire sighed, frustrated.


End file.
